Halfway There

Week 16 has (finally) come to a close in the National Football League, and the People's Pigskin will walk into the final week of the season and the second half of its People's League championship with a 89-77 deficit against the Fighting Amish. Here's a quick scoring breakdown.
Peyton Manning, QB: 16 of 30 passing for 179 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 3 rushes for 25 yards and 17 fantasy points. Manning also pulled a Bryan Westbrook on fantasy football players by sliding short of the goal line to help run out the clock. How many playoff games turned on that slide?
Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 48 yards, 1 fumble and 2 fantasy points. Turner picked a heck of a time (a week the Falcons could have wrapped up home-field advantage) and a heck of a place (the goal line) to lose his first fumble of the season.
Darren McFadden, RB: 11 rushes for 45 yards, 4 receptions for 31 yards and 7 fantasy points. Most of McFadden's offense came on a single 26-yard run. Not good news. Neither is the injury he suffered in the third quarter.
Calvin Johnson, WR: 4 receptions, 52 yards and 5 fantasy points. Johnson left his game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. The Detroit Lions say they expect him to play, but his health warrants monitoring.
Dwayne Bowe, WR: 6 receptions, 153 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 points. Now there's the long-touchdown-catching Bowe we know and love.
Kenny Britt, Flex: 4 receptions, 89 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Britt is making Randy Moss a forgotten man in Tennessee.
Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 13 yards and 1 fantasy point. It was a day to forget for everyone in a San Diego uniform.
Washington Redskins, D/ST: 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, 17 points allowed and 9 fantasy points. All the talk these days may be about the quarterback, but the Redskins defense is showing it shouldn't be ignored.
Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on extra points and 1 fantasy point. How do you score a single fantasy point as a kicker when your offense scores a pair of touchdowns? Well, one day is to have your coach go for 2 on the second touchdown. Oh, well. At least Mare's team will have something at stake in their season finale.
Speaking of season finales, it's time for ours. And it's time for you to vote in our polls to see who will take the field this last week. Thanks.
We'll be back with some more fantasy football thoughts.

The People's Results - Week 16

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor gift-returning duties could stop you, the Internet, from selecting the People's Pigskin lineup for this week. Here's who the Web's favorite fantasy football team will start in the first week of its two-week People's League championship matchup against the Fighting Amish.
Quarterback: Peyton Manning. Enough said. (OK, we'll say something else; he's playing the Oakland Raiders in a late afternoon game.)
Running back: Only two players got votes this week in this poll. They are Michael Turner (who faces the New Orleans Saints on Monday night) and Darren McFadden (who faces Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the late afternoon).
Wide receiver: Calvin Johnson won this poll handily. He plays the Miami Dolphins. The other votes were split evenly between Dwayne Bowe, who plays the Tennessee Titans, and Kenny Britt, who plays Bowe's Kansas City Chiefs. Bowe gets a receiver spot, and Britt takes the flex spot.
Tight end: Once again, you, the Internet, went with the Randy McMichael/Antonio Gates combo platter. Gates has already been ruled out, so McMichael gets the start against the Cincinnati Bengals in the late afternoon.
Defense/special teams: We have a change here this week. The winning choice in this poll was "Get a free agent," so we did. We got the Washington Redskins, who face the Jacksonville Jaguars today. To get them, we waived Justin Forsett. Try not to shed too many tears.
Unlike the Sunday night game, we have no change at kicker (Olindo Mare, who gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a late afternoon game).
Thanks again for voting. The results for the football/holiday drink polls appear below, and a college football poll is available now for voting. Enjoy the games, and stay safe out there.

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Championship Time, Baby!

With the help of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin is ready to compete for the People's League title.

Last week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to the Hudson Valley Hawks by a score of 82-73. However, the combined score from the two-week semifinal left us with a winning margin of 184-156. Here's a look at the week 15 results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 29 of 39 passing, 229 yards, 2 touchdowns and 17 fantasy points. Manning and his Indianapolis Colts kept their AFC South title hopes alive by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Michael Turner, RB: 25 rushes, 82 yards and 8 fantasy points. Turner was not his usual fantasy self, but his Atlanta Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks and clinched a playoff spot. Another win will clinch home-field advantage.

Darren McFadden, RB: 20 rushes for 119 yeards, 4 receptions for 39 yards, 1 fumble and 12 fantasy points. McFadden joined the 1,000-Yard Club on Sunday. He failed to do was cross the goal line, but plenty of teammates did that for him.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 10 receptions, 152 yards and 15 fantasy points. Megatron didn't find the end zone, either, but his Detroit Lions broke a 26-game road losing streak. And he's still pretty good.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 2 receptions, 53 yards and 5 fantasy points. At least it wasn't another donut. And his Kansas City Chiefs kept their AFC West title hopes alive.

Knowshon Moreno, Flex: 4 rushes for 5 yards, 1 reception for 1 yard and 0 fantasy points. Moreno left his game in the first quarter with a rib injury. His status for this week is still up in the air.

Randy McMichael, TE: 5 receptions, 55 yards and 5 fantasy points. McMichael, once again filling in for the injured Antonio Gates, helped the San Diego Chargers beat the San Francisco 49ers and keep their own playoff hopes from dying. He might even have helped Justin Smith get an early shower.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 4 sacks, 17 points allowed and 7 fantasy points. The Titans beat up on the Houston Texans, who were probably still feeling a hangover from their overtime loss in Baltimore the previous week.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 4 fantasy points. Mare's points were held down by the fact that the Seahawks went for 2 after a touchdown.

Bench: Jon Kitna, who can now stop looking over his shoulder at Tony Romo, scored 21 points, while Chad Henne scored 13. Kenny Britt had 12 points. Chad Ochocinco had 3, and Tony Moeaki had 2.

Now we must prepare for a two-week championship matchup against the formidable Fighting Amish. The lineup polls are now open and will close Sunday (or Saturday, if Jon Kitna can build up a lead in his poll; his Dallas Cowboys play Christmas night). The beverage poll is also still open, so feel free to vote in that one, too.

We'll be back with more football thoughts.

The People's Choice - Week 15

It's Sunday once again, so that must mean a lot of analysts are laughing too loudly at each other's jokes. It also means it's time for the People's Pigskin to set its lineup. And once again, thanks to you, the Internet, we have a lineup for the second half of our two-week People's League semifinal against the Hudson Valley Hawks.

Quarterback: Jon Kitna got some love, but not enough to unseat Peyton Manning. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars today.

Running back: Darren McFadden was the winner of this poll. He faces the Denver Broncos in a late afternoon game. The other votes were split evenly between Michael Turner (playing the Seattle Seahakws in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (playing McFadden's Oakland Raiders in the late afternoon). Turner will get the second running back start, while Moreno will stay in the flex spot...

Wide receiver: ...because all the votes in this poll were taken by two players: Calvin Johnson (who gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the St. Louis Rams).

No changes at kicker (Olindo Mare, facing Turner's Atlanta Falcons) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, facing the Houston Texans). And on Thursday, we played Randy McMichael, whose 5 points increased our lead over the Hawks to 116-74.

The poll results appear below, and we've put up a holiday-themed poll, so feel free to vote on it now. (We say "holiday-themed" because it's easier to fit into a poll headline than "Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's/Festivus/fantasy playoff-themed.") Enjoy the games.

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Consider This a Halftime Report

The People's Pigskin ended the first week of its two-week semifinal with a 111-74 lead over the Hudson Valley Hawks. With a repeat performance this week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team would have a shot at the People's League championship.

But first things first. It's time to tell you how we compiled that lead.

Peyton Manning, QB: 25 of 35 passing, 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 20 fantasy points. Most importantly, no interceptions, and his Indianapolis Colts still have plenty to play for.

Michael Turner, RB: 28 rushes for 112 yards, 1 reception for 12 yards, 3 touchdowns and 30 fantasy points. Turner beat the Carolina Panthers all by himself (not that it's a Herculean task or anything).

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 19 rushes for 81 yards, 5 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 17 fantasy points. Moreno was one of the few bright spots for the Denver Broncos this week. And you thought interim coaches could turn around any team.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 1 reception for 44 yards, 1 rush for 13 yards and 5 fantasy points. Normally, getting so few points from a player as talented as Megatron would be the low point of the Pigskin's week.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 1 reception, 3 yards and 0 fantasy points. And then there's this week. Bowe was shut out fantasy-wise for the second week in a row. We'll have to pray he doesn't make it three in a row.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 16 rushes for 123 yards, 3 receptions for 86 yards, 3 touchdowns and 38 fantasy points. McFadden was the top-scoring player in fantasy football this week. And he was nearly the hero for the Oakland Raiders -- until they forgot to tackle Maurice Jones-Drew.

Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 26 yards and 2 fantasy points. McMichael filled in for the injured Antonio Gates, and he was largely forgotten in San Diego's thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Olindo Mare, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. For fantasy kickers, one miss can be crucial (especially when that miss is your only field goal attempt of the day).

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 30 points allowed and minus-3 fantasy points. Peyton Manning's rebound came a week too early for the Titans.

Bench: Jon Kitna scored 15 points, while Chad Ochocinco scored 7. No one else got more than 2.

Now, we have to do it all over again this week. The Hawks can easily erase a 27-point lead, so we need your help picking our lineup. It starts with deciding whether to use the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter on Thursday night. That poll will take votes until Thursday, so please vote now.

We'll be back with a thought on football's all-star game.

The People's Choice - Week 14

Fortunately, Old Man Winter didn't wreak havoc on the People's Pigskin roster (or its stadiums), so we can simply thank you, the Internet, for helping us pick this week's lineup. We carry a 17-point lead against the Hudson Valley Hawks into Sunday's games. Remember, though, that this is a two-week matchup, so whoever leads Monday night won't necessarily be the one who advances to the People's League championship game.

Anyway, here are the choices for this week.

Running back: We had some strong choices in this poll, but you gave the starting spots to Michael Turner (who faces the Carolina Panthers) and Knowshon Moreno (who has a late afternoon date with the Arizona Cardinals).

Wide receiver: This one was simple; if you got votes in this poll, you're starting. If you didn't, you're not, no matter how well you can dance. Calvin Johnson plays against the Detroit Lions. Dwayne Bowe, whose appendix is just fine, plays the San Diego Chargers in a late afternoon game.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot goes to the running back who finished third in that poll (again): Darren McFadden. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tight end: This story should be familiar by now. You, the Internet, voted for the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter. Gates is questionable again, so we'll start him if he plays and bench him if he doesn't. Either way, we've got the tight end with a late afternoon game against the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll update this when the Chargers roster is finalized.

UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates has been ruled out for this game. McMichael will start in his place.

No change at kicker (Olindo Mare, who visits the San Francisco 49ers in the late afternoon). We already played our quarterback (Peyton Manning, who scored 20 points) and our defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who scored minus-3).

Now, it's time to start thinking about next week. The Chargers and 49ers meet on Thursday, so we have an early poll about Gates and McMichael. Feel free to vote now. This week's poll results appear below. Enjoy the games, and stay safe.

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A Regular-Season Title

Thanks to the helpful input of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin has made it to the top of the heap.

The Web's favorite fantasy football team defeated the t-bay cuervonatersXXL by a score of 96-75. While other People's League teams sweat out the Monday night game and hope for a playoff berth, the Pigskin has locked up a league-best 10-3 record and the top seed in the upcoming championship battle.

Here is how we got here.

Peyton Manning, QB: 36 of 48 passing, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 1 rush for minus-1 yard and 14 fantasy points. Manning is having the worst season of his career. He even earned one of two "Goats of the Week" awards from Peter King.

Michael Turner, RB: 24 rushes for 88 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Turner and the Atlanta Falcons keep rolling along. For Turner, that meant breaking the 1,000-yard barrier for the second time in his career.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 23 rushes for 161 yards, 1 reception for 14 yards and 17 fantasy points. His performance was strong enough to be the best for the Pigskin this week, but it wasn't strong enough to beat the Kansas City Chiefs or save Josh McDaniels' job.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 3 receptions, 66 yards, 1 touchdown and 16 fantasy points. It seems as if the Detroit Lions could line up this quarterback under center, and Johnson would be able to get the ball into the end zone.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. The Pigskin survived this misfire, but we'll need Bowe to reintroduce himself to his quarterback before the playoffs begin.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 19 rushes for 97 yards, 3 receptions for 30 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble and 16 fantasy points. McFadden and the rest of the Oakland Raiders ran over the San Diego Chargers, who are supposed to have a good defense.

Antonio Gates, TE: 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown and 13 fantasy points. Now, there's the Gates that fantasy players know and love.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 2 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points and 6 fantasy points. It's a fact of life for kickers; the better the day is going for your team, the worse it's going to be for your fantasy stats. After all, every time Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown, Mare is reduced to kicking an extra point.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, 17 points allowed and 4 fantasy points. These folks had better be able to recover quickly; they do face the Colts on Thursday.

Bench: Maybe all Chad Ochocinco needed was for someone to light a fire under him; he scored 9 fantasy points this week. Justin Forsett scored 6, while Chad Henne and Tony Moeaki scored 5 apiece.

We'll find out tomorrow who we'll be facing in a two-week semifinal. Until then, be sure to vote in the polls on your right. The waiver poll will close Tuesday night, and the others will close Thursday. Enjoy the game.

The People's Choice - Week 13

Thanks to everybody who voted on this week's lineup for the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team can wrap up the top spot in the People's League playoffs with a victory this weekend over the t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Here's who you selected to help us do that.

Quarterback: Once again, Peyton Manning dominated this poll. He starts a late afternoon game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Running back: The two top vote-getters in this poll were Michael Turner (who plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (who plays the Kansas City Chiefs).

Wide receiver: Only two receivers drew votes this week. Calvin Johnson faces the Chicago Bears, while Dwayne Bowe faces the Denver Broncos.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot will go to the running back who finished third in his poll: Darren McFadden. He has a late afternoon date with the San Diego Chargers.

Tight end: Speaking of the Chargers, their tag team won this week's poll. If Antonio Gates is active for the game against the Oakland Raiders, he gets the start. If he's not, Randy McMichael will get the start. We'll update this post when we have a resolution. UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates is listed as active for this game, so he'll get the start.

No changes in kicker (Olindo Mare, facing the Carolina Panthers in the late afternoon) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who face the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Thanks again for voting. The results appear below, and some new polls are now available for voting. The first one deals with replacing the injured Shaun Hill in our roster and will close Tuesday night. The other three deal with this week's Thursday night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Those will close before kickoff Thursday. Feel free to vote now, and enjoy the games.

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A Victory Worth the Wait

The People's Pigskin had to sweat out the Monday night game, but the result was a 101-87 win over the Chicago VinSethBears. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team maintained its lead in the People's League with a 9-3 record. Here is the breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 31 of 48 passing, 285 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and 11 fantasy points. Manning had one of the worst outings of his career on Sunday night. At one point, a San Diego Charger knocked Manning down by shoving a guard into him.

Michael Turner, RB: 23 rushes for 110 yards, 1 reception for 4 yards, 1 touchdown and 17 fantasy points. Turner and the Atlanta Falcons just keep rolling along.

Darren McFadden, RB: 8 rushes for 2 yards, 7 receptions for 63 yards and 6 fantasy points. It was a rough day to be any Oakland Raider not named Jacoby Ford.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 4 receptions for 81 yards, 1 rush for 15 yards, 1 touchdown and 15 fantasy points. It's surprising Johnson didn't get even more attention as the Lions tried to come back in the second half of their Thanksgiving beating by the New England Patriots.

Chad Ochocinco, WR: 4 receptions, 41 yards and 4 fantasy points. Is this the type of season Ochocinco for himself? This might be his answer.

Dwayne Bowe, Flex: 13 receptions, 170 yards, 3 touchdowns and 35 fantasy points. Bowe was the top-scoring receiver in fantasy football. Again.

Antonio Gates, TE: 4 receptions, 46 yards and 4 fantasy points. Yes, Gates was active for San Diego's Sunday night game. He just wasn't all that active.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 2 sacks, 20 points allowed and 2 fantasy points. The only fight the Titans defenders seemed to put up this week was the one Cortland Finnegan waged with Andre Johnson.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 7 fantasy points. Mare did everything the Seattle Seahawks asked him to do on Sunday. They just didn't ask him to do nearly enough to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Thanks again for your help this week, but our work isn't done yet. There's one week to go in the regular season, and the Pigskin has to face the t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Your votes will determine who starts against the cuervonaters, so please vote now. Thanks.

The People's Choice - Week 12

Thanks for taking time out of your busy shopping weekend to cast votes for the People's Pigskin lineup. We now know (for the most part) who will start for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team this week against the Chicago VinSethBears.

Quarterback. Trends may come and go, but Peyton Manning just keeps on churning out poll wins. He'll start against the San Diego Chargers in the Sunday night game.

Running back/flex. This week, we asked you to fill three lineup spots with a single poll. Knowshon Moreno got some love, but not enough to unseat the triumvirate of Michael Turner (facing the Green Bay Packers early), Darren McFadden (facing the Miami Dolphins in the late afternoon) and Dwayne Bowe (taking the flex spot and facing the Seattle Seahawks in another late afternoon game).

Tight end. Here's why we said "for the most part" in the introduction. You, the Internet, voted for the tag team of Antonio Gates and Randy McMichael, who face Manning's Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. If Gates is healthy, he'll start. If not, McMichael will start.

There were no changes at kicker (Olindo Mare against the Kansas City Chiefs) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans against the Houston Texans). And while we were stuffing our faces on Thanksgiving Day, the People's Pigskin was getting 19 points from Calvin Johnson and Chad Ochocinco.

Again, thanks for voting. The results appear below, and a new poll on the upcoming fantasy football playoff season is now available for voting. We'll be back with some results. In the meantime, enjoy the games.

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Overdue Updates (and Polls)

First of all, thanks for all your kind thoughts and words over the past few days. They were greatly appreciated. But now, we at the People's Pigskin have some updating to do.

We'll start with the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, which fell to the Hudson Valley Hawks by a score of 123-112. This lowers our record to 8-3 for the season. Here are the details.

Peyton Manning, QB: 38 of 52 passing, 396 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 25 fantasy points. Manning's last interception was also the last time he touched the ball in the Indianapolis Colts loss to the New England Patriots.

Michael Turner, RB: 28 rushes for 131 yards, 1 reception for minus-4 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 fantasy points. Like Manning, Turner contributed enough to keep the People's Pigskin in the ballgame.

Darren McFadden, RB: 10 rushes for 14 yards, 2 receptions for 16 yards and 2 fantasy points. McFadden did not.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 6 receptions, 46 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. Even when he's not having a big day, Johnson finds the end zone and saves his fantasy stats.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns and 22 fantasy points. Bowe has inherited the "All He Does Is Catch Touchdowns" title from Cris Carter. They should have a ceremony.

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 3 receptions, 28 yards, 1 touchdown and 8 fantasy points. Ochocinco scored the first Bengals touchdown in a 49-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. After that, he was something he never is: quiet.

Randy McMichael, TE: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. Someone please remind Norv Turner that he still has a tight end available, and even though his name is not Antonio Gates, he's still an eligible receiver.

Olindo Mare, K: 4 for 4 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 15 fantasy points. Who would have thought we'd be singing the praises of a kicker in a fantasy blog?

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 3 sacks, 1 punt returned for a touchdown, 19 points allowed and 11 fantasy points. The defense held up much better than the quarterback in a 19-16 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Bench: Leaving Knowshon Moreno out of the starting lineup proved fatal. He scored 17 points. Vince Young scored 6 before his injury/meltdown, and Justin Forsett scored 4.

Now, we have some work to do and very little time to do it. The Pigskin faces the Chicago VinSethBears this week. We have two players with Thanksgiving Day games (Ochocinco and Johnson), and we have to get Vince Young off the roster. Four polls, including a Thanksgiving-themed one, are now available for voting and will close Thursday morning. Please vote now.

We'll be back with a final update on the People's Pitstop.

People's Choice (and Predictions)

Before the Sunday afternoon games kick off, it's time to let you know who you, the Internet, selected for the People's Pigskin lineup. Here's who will start for the Web's favorite fantasy football team as it faces the always-tough Hudson Valley Hawks.

Quarterback: Peyton Manning (late afternoon vs. New England)

Running back: Darren McFadden (vs. Pittsburgh), Michael Turner (late afternoon vs. St. Louis)

Wide receiver: Calvin Johnson (vs. Dallas), Dwayne Bowe (vs. Arizona)

Flex: Chad Ochocinco (vs. Buffal0)

Tight end: Antonio Gates (if he starts Monday vs. Denver) or Randy McMichael (otherwise).

Defense: Tennessee Titans (vs. Washington)

Kicker: Olindo Mare (late afternoon vs. New Orleans)

And now, a brief version of this week's predictions.

People's League fantasy football: Pigskin over Hawks, Futs over Cuervonaters, RedZone over Zs, Amish over VinSethBears, Cowboys over Feelys.

NASCAR Sprint Cup top 10: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Bill Elliott.

Thanks for voting on this weekend's lineups. The poll results appear below, and two new polls are now available for voting. We'll return (when we can) with results.

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Assessing the Damage

It's safe to say the People's Pigskin will not be attending any Amish barn-raisings in the near future.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost for the second time this season. And for the second time this season, the opponent who delivered the crushing blow was the Fighting Amish. The final score: 116-69.

Here's a look at how our players fared.

Peyton Manning, QB: 31 of 52 passing, 294 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions and 11 fantasy points. A very un-Peyton-like performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe he finally lost one reciever too many.

Michael Turner, RB: 24 rushes, 107 yards, 2 touchdowns and 22 fantasy points. Turner did his part to help the Pigskin, and he helped the Atlanta Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the process.

Darren McFadden, RB: 17 rushes for 89 yards, 4 receptions for 25 yards, 1 fumble and 8 fantasy points. The Oakland Raiders veered from their script and relied on Jason Campbell to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 1 reception, 13 yards and 1 fantasy points. Maybe "Revis Island" really is more than just a way to sell shoes.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 5 receptions, 63 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points. This Bowe knows how to find the end zone.

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 1 reception, 15 yards and 1 fantasy point. Ochocinco also had a catch nullified by a penalty. Other than that, he might as well have stayed home looking for love.

Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 23 yards, 2 touchdowns and 14 fantasy points. You'll recall that McMichael was filling in for the injured Antonio Gates and joined our lineup at the last minute. He picked up where Gates left off in the scoring department. Too bad his performance was wasted.

New England Patriots, D/ST: 1 fumble recovery, 34 points allowed and minus-2 fantasy points. The Patriots found themselves in a hole before Tom Brady had a chance to break a sweat.

Jason Hanson, K: 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. It's never a good sign when your kicker is injured to the point where you're asking your nose tackle to make extra points.

Speaking of Hanson, it looks like he will miss some time with his injury, so this week's lineup polls will include one where we ask you, the Internet, to find us a new kicker. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team faces the NFL2K10 RedZone this week. The tight end poll will close tonight. The poll about Michael Turner will close Thursday before his game. The other football polls will close Sunday morning. Please vote now.

We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR race site.

The People's Choice - Week 9

It's almost time to kick off another National Football League weekend, and we at the People's Pigskin have a lineup to field thanks to you, the Internet. Here's who you picked for this week's People's League showdown against the Fighting Amish.

Quarterback: Another week, another sweep for Peyton Manning. He's got a late afternoon date with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Running back: With Knowshon Moreno on a bye week, two players swept this poll -- Michael Turner (who plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Darren McFadden (who has a late afternoon game against the Kansas City Chiefs).

Wide receiver: With Kenny Britt out, you split your votes among three wideouts. The receiver slots go to Calvin Johnson (who faces New York Jets early) and Dwayne Bowe (who plays the New York Jets late in the afternoon). Meanwhile, Chad Ochocinco gets the flex spot. He plays the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

Tight end: Antonio Gates won this poll unanimously. However, he was ruled inactive about the time this poll closed, so we grabbed his backup, Randy McMichael. Welcome back, Randy, and so long, Robert Meachem, who was cut to make room for him. You get the gift of facing the Houston Texans.

There's no change at kicker (Jason Hanson, facing the Jets). And earlier in the week, you voted to pick up the New England Patriots defense/special teams. They visit the Cleveland Browns today.

The poll results appear below. Thanks for voting. Two new polls are now open. The first one, which will close Tuesday night, asks which tight end we should acquire to deal with Gates/McMichael's bye week. The second one, which will close Thursday afternoon, asks whether Turner should start for us Thursday night. Please vote now.

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Another Week, Another Victory

The magical run by the People's Pigskin continues. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat the nuckin' futs by a score of 100-79. Thanks to you, the Internet, we now enjoy a league-leading record of 7-1. Here's your scoring breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 26 of 45 passing, 268 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 rushes for 3 yards and 18 fantasy points. Sometimes it almost seems too easy for Manning and whoever his teammates are this week.

Darren McFadden, RB: 21 rushes for 111 yards, 2 receptions for 24 yards and 13 fantasy points. All that was missing from McFadden's stats this week was a touchdown, but his teammates more than picked up the slack.

Justin Forsett, RB: 5 rushes for 11 yards, 3 receptions for 23 yards and 3 fantasy points. Forsett, on the other hand, is stuck on a team with an offensively bad offense.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 9 receptions, 101 yards, 3 touchdowns and 28 fantasy points. Clearly, Matthew Stafford knows where his proverbial bread is buttered.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 3 receptions for 16 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 rush for 4 yards and 7 fantasy points. Bowe's end zone catch saved his fantasy day.

Knowshon Moreno, Flex: 11 rushes for 40 yards, 4 receptions for 19 yards and 5 fantasy points. Who'd have thought Moreno would have to worry about losing goal line touches to a rookie quarterback?

Antonio Gates, TE: 5 receptions, 123 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. It's nice having the tight end who's leading the NFL in touchdown catches.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 1 sack, 1 safety, 1 punt block, 33 points allowed and 3 fantasy points. The San Diego Chargers special teams are the gift that keeps on giving.

Jason Hanson, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 5 fantasy points. Hanson did enough to remain on the People's Pigskin roster.

Bench: I don't know how you knew benching Kenny Britt would be a good idea, but you were right. Britt went down with a hamstring injury without scoring a single fantasy point. Vince Young, however, scored 18. Robert Meachem scored 7, Chad Henne scored 6, and Chad Ochocinco scored 3.

Now, it's time to set our lineup for this week's People's League showdown with the Fighting Amish. The defense/special teams poll will close tonight, while the other football polls (found just under the NASCAR ones) will close Sunday evening. Please vote now.

And speaking of votes, today is Election Day. Get to your polling place and cast your ballot. Yes, it matters. No, your excuse isn't good enough.

The Halloween poll results appear below.

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The People's Choice - Week 8

Hope you're ready for the NFL slate (and trick or treaters), because both are upon us. The People's Pigskin is ready, thanks to you, the Internet. You picked our lineup for our People's League matchup against the nuckin' futs. Here are the results.

Quarterback. Another week, another start for Peyton Manning. He gets the Houston Texans on Monday night.

Running back. The two top vote-getters in this poll were Darren McFadden and Justin Forsett. You won't need to wear out your remote control following them: McFadden's Oakland Raiders take on Forsett's Seattle Seahawks.

Wide receiver. Two players dominated this poll: Calvin Johnson (who faces the Washington Redskins) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the Buffalo Bills).

Flex. In a mild upset, Knowshon Moreno got more votes than Kenny Britt, so Moreno gets the start against the San Francisco 49ers in London.

No changes at either tight end (Antonio Gates vs. the Tennessee Titans) or defense/special teams (the aforementioned Titans vs. Gates' San Diego Chargers). And earlier in the week, you voted to pick up Jason Hanson to be our kicker. He faces the Redskins today.

Thanks again for voting in the lineup polls, as well as our poll about the National Football League's best team. The results appear below. A quick Halloween-related poll is now open for voting.

We'll be back with some results.

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The People's Choice - Week 6

We're less than an hour from kickoff, but there's plenty of time to thank you, my fellow fantasy football fans, for voting on the People's Pigskin lineup for this week's People's League matchup against cowboys romero. The results are in, and here they are.

Quarterback. Stop me if you've heard this before: Peyton Manning is starting for us this week. He plays the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.

Running back. Michael Turner locked up one starting spot by winning this poll. He faces the Philadelphia Eagles. Darren McFadden holds the second spot at the moment. If he's inactive for the late afternoon game against the San Francisco 49ers, we will get someone else to take his spot, and we'll update this post if necessary.

Wide reciever. Kenny Britt is a surprise winner of this poll. He starts against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. Two other receivers tied for second place: Calvin Johnson (who plays the New York Giants and gets the second receiver spot) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the Houston Texans and gets the flex spot).

The rest of the lineup is the same as it was last week. We have Antonio Gates (facing the St. Louis Rams) at tight end, the Tennessee Titans (on Monday night against the Jaguars) on defense/special teams and Matt Bryant (facing the Eagles) at kicker.

Again, thanks for voting. The poll results appear below, and a fresh football poll is now available for your voting pleasure. Good luck.

UPDATED 3:10 P.M. McFadden is inactive for this game. However, Knowshon Moreno has been upgraded to probable and is active for the Denver Broncos today, so he gets promoted to the starting lineup. He faces the New York Jets.

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A Sigh of Relief

Whew ... that was a close shave.

The People's Pigskin survived a Monday night charge by t-bay cuervonatersXXL and won by a score of 110-107. That puts your favorite fantasy football team at the top of the People's League with a record of 4-0. And we couldn't have done it without you. Here's the scoring breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 33 for 46 passing for 352 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 1 rush for minus-1 yards and 20 fantasy points. Manning won't be happy with his team's last-second loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but fantasy players will be happy if it means he's still playing when the fantasy playoffs come around.

Michael Turner, RB: 16 rushes for 50 yards, 3 receptions for 28 yards and 7 fantasy points. Obviously, the rushing numbers were not very good, but it would be good news if Turner is being used as a safety valve on passing plays.

Darren McFadden, RB: 12 rushes for 47 yards, 6 receptions for 82 yards and 12 fantasy points. The big story here is the hamstring injury McFadden suffered against the Houston Texans. Early reports indicate the injury is not serious, but it will warrant monitoring throughout the week.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 6 receptions for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 rush for 2 yards and 20 fantasy points. It's always a good sign when sports writers are advising NFL teams to keep calling your player's number.

Chad Ochocinco, WR: 3 receptions, 59 yards and 5 fantasy points. On the other hand, it's not such a good sign when your player lines up across the field from someone having an epic fantasy day.

Justin Forsett, Flex: 19 rushes for 65 yards, 2 receptions for 10 yards and 7 fantasy points. Forsett's situation changed dramatically Tuesday when the Seattle Seahawks traded for Marshawn Lynch. How dramatically it changed remains to be seen.

Antonio Gates, TE: 7 receptions, 144 yards, 2 touchdowns and 26 fantasy points. As far as the People's Pigskin is concerned, Vincent Jackson can just go ahead and take the season off. The San Diego Chargers clearly did not miss him Sunday.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 6 sacks, 1 kickoff returned for a touchdown, 26 points allowed and 13 fantasy points. Their opponents called them dirty, and their top draft pick was lost for the season, but the Titans defense did its job, at least for fantasy players, unlike ...

Jeff Reed, K: 0 for 2 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 0 fantasy points. The Cuervonaters started an inactive kicker, and the Pigskin might as well have done the same. Reed has a bye week, and it's safe to say he won't be missed around here.

Bench. It was a decent week to be a backup Pigskin quarterback. Chad Henne scored 14 points, while Vince Young scored 11. Kenny Britt scored 8, and Kevin Smith scored 3.

This week, the People's Pigskin will face the 3-1 Fighting Amish, and we need a new lineup. The polls are now open. The kicker poll will close Tuesday night, so we can make a waiver wire request. The other football polls (located below the NASCAR ones) will close Sunday morning. You know what to do.

We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.

The People's Choice - Week 4

We've made it to another Sunday, and once again, it's time for us to thank you, the Internet, for selecting the People's Pigskin lineup for this week's People's League matchup against t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Here are the results.

Quarterback. Raise your hand if you're surprised Peyton Manning was the unanimous choice this week. OK, put your hand down, Jon Lovitz. Manning gets the Jacksonville Jaguars today.

Running back. Knowshon Moreno's injury may have made this poll easier. We have a tie at the top: Michael Turner (playing the San Francisco 49ers) and Darren McFadden (playing the Houston Texans). They get the starting spots.

Wide receiver. Calvin Johnson wins this poll and gets to face the Green Bay Packers this afternoon. The runner-up was Chad Ochocinco, who need to forget about his cereal long enough to play the Cleveland Browns.

As for the flex spot, Justin Forsett got more votes than Kenny Britt, so Forsett plays for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team this week. He gets the St. Louis Rams.

There were no changes at tight end (Antonio Gates, who plays the Arizona Cardinals) or kicker (Jeff Reed, who plays the Baltimore Ravens). As we discussed earlier in the week, you chose to replace our previous defense with the Tennessee Titans. They face the Denver Broncos this afternoon.

Again, thanks for voting. A new poll dealing with the issue of bye weeks is available now. The results of the football polls appear below. Enjoy the games, everybody!

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Quick Defense Poll and Week 3 Results

First things first: Bye week season is upon us, and for the People's Pigskin, that means finding a defense/special teams unit to fill in for the Minnesota Vikings. A new poll is up, and this one needs to close TONIGHT, because ESPN will process waiver requests on Wednesday morning. Here is a look at the candidates:

Seattle Seahawks: 2nd among D/STs with 42 fantasy points, including 26 last week. They visit the St. Louis Rams this week.

Tennessee Titans: 4th among D/STs with 32 fantasy points, including 14 last week. They host the Denver Broncos this week.

Chicago Bears: 5th among D/STs with 28 fantasy points, including 13 Monday night. They visit the New York Giants this week.

Indianapolis Colts: Tied for 7th among D/STs with 26 fantasy points, including 9 last week. They visit the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.

If our request is rejected (because someone who's actully lost a game made a request for the same defense), we'll offer another poll. In the meantime, please vote now. We'll wait.

(Whistling the "Jeopardy" theme)

OK, back to the football. Thanks to the frequently intelligent votes of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin beat the Chicago VinSethBears by a score of 115-91. That means the World Wide Web's favorite fantasy football team is the only team in the People's League with a record of THREE-AND-OH, BABY!

Here's a breakdown of the results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 27 for 43 passing, 325 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 rushes for minus-1 yard and 25 fantasy points. We're going to have to speak to Manning about that trying-to-run thing.

Michael Turner, RB: 30 rushes for 114 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions for 11 yards and 18 fantasy points. Looks like that groin injury isn't a problem at all. The only thing hurt in Sunday's overtime game was Garrett Hartley's employment status.

Darren McFadden, RB: 25 rushes for 105 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions for 17 yards and 17 fantasy points. Another running back who had a strong day while watching a kicker suffer.

Dwayne Bowe, Flex: 2 receptions, 61 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points. Never underestimate the value of trickery.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 6 receptions, 56 yards, 1 rush for 2 yards and 5 fantasy points. Like the rest of Detroit Lions, Johnson can't wait for Matthew Stafford to heal.

Chad Ochocinco, WR: 4 receptions, 34 yards and 3 fantasy points. Mr. Eight-Five doesn't have a backup quarterback to use as an excuse. Looks like he's going the "Tweet about my injuries" route instead.

Antonio Gates, TE: 7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 touchdown and 16 fantasy points. Rotowire.com says it best: "Gates continues to be Philip Rivers' most trusted pass catcher and seems like the person who is benefiting the most from Vincent Jackson's absence."

Minnesota Vikings, D/ST: 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered, 1 sack, 10 points allowed and 11 fantasy points. Don't cry about losing them to a bye week. Despite the strong outing against the Lions, this defense ranks 17th with only 20 fantasy points.

Jeff Reed, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 5 for 5 on extra points and 8 fantasy points. Ironically, the butt-whipping that the Pittsburgh Steelers delivered to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held Reed's point total down.

Bench: Chad Henne put up 20 points, while Justin Forsett scored 9. Kenny Britt and Vince Young scored 8 apiece.

Next up for the People's Pigskin is a date with the 2-1 t-bay cuervonatersXXL. It's time for you, the Internet, to help us find the way to 4-0. The defense poll will close tonight, but the other football polls (located below the NASCAR ones) will close Sunday morning. Please vote.

We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.