Fearless Wild Card Predictions

There's still time for you to vote on which players the People's Playoffs will field in the wild card round of ESPN's Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our goal is to dominate the 9beersfantasysportstaven group in this postseason fantasy football game.
Speaking of the postseason, it's time to offer a peek at what will happen on Saturday and Sunday in the wild card games. The Week 17 predictions for the People's League (including picks for that week and overall results) went 5-5, leaving us with a final season record of 59-36.
Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints. When we last saw Matt Hasselbeck, he was straining his hip running into the end zone. And we're supposed to believe he's ready to face a New Orleans Saints team that has to be ticked off they're flying across the country to visit a 7-9 team. And it won't matter if they bring back Archie Manning to play halfback; the Saints should make short work of the Seahawks. And the sooner we all forget that a 7-9 team won its division, the better off we'll all be.
New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts. Let's discuss the recent Jets arrivals. Rex Ryan has spent most of the last two seasons running his mouth. LaDainian Tomlinson has spent the last few postseasons sulking. And Mark Sanchez...well, this pretty much sums it up. No, the Colts won't find this game easy, but it is undoubtedly winnable for Peyton Manning and Company. The Jets' road ends here.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs are not exactly charging full-speed ahead into the playoffs. Matt Cassel has been sacked nine times and thrown three picks in the last three weeks alone. Last week, the Oakland Raiders -- a team that would show its coach the door days later -- tossed the Chiefs around like rag dolls. Ray Lewis can still dominate a team like that, even if he does look ridiculous in his commercials. Look for the Ravens to manhandle the Chiefs.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers. This one is probably the hardest game to call. Is Michael Vick fully healed from that thigh injury? Can Green Bay find enough of a running game to keep the Eagles defenders honest? Did Andy Reid have one of his coaches explain to his quarterbacks how the new overtime rules work? So many questions, but only one answer: fantasy football. And since this game does feature fantasy football's 2010 Most Valuable Player, we have to go with him. The Eagles should find a way to win at Lambeau Field.
Remember to get your votes in before the lineup polls close Saturday. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Victory!

It's now official: The People's Pigskin won its initial matchup against the former Beanie's Weenies by a score of 103-54. Here's how we did it.

Peyton Manning, QB: 40 for 57 passing for 433 yards, 3 touchdowns and 29 fantasy points. He and his Indianapolis Colts can't be happy about their performance against the Houston Texans, but even what Manning would consider an off day is a pretty good day for fantasy football.

Michael Turner, RB: 19 rushes for 42 yards, 1 reception for 7 yards and 4 fantasy points. Chalk one up for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. They stuffed the run and forced Matt Ryan to try to win the game with his arm. Turner will have better days.

Darren McFadden, RB: 18 rushes for 95 yards, 6 receptions for 55 yards, 1 touchdown and 20 fantasy points. That's more like it. It's too bad the Oakland Raiders faced a more talented team (and runner) on Sunday.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 4 receptions for 45 yards and 4 points. Those numbers would be much stronger if it weren't for a certain ruling. Fantasy players will have to hope Calvin wraps his arms around the ball next time. Oh, and they better hope his new quarterback is as good as his old one.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 1 reception, 13 yards and 1 fantasy point. Fortunately, this week's contest was settled before Bowe had a chance to affect it.

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 12 receptions, 159 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 fantasy points. Another excellent fantasy performance for someone whose team as a whole did not have a good day.

Antonio Gates, TE: 5 receptions, 76 yards, 1 touchdown and 13 fantasy points. Again, his points were gravy, but his numbers, even on a night when the San Diego Chargers weren't clicking, offer hope to fantasy players that maybe Vincent Jackson's absence won't kill him, after all.

Minnesota Vikings, D/ST: 1 sack, 14 points allowed and 2 fantasy points. It's old news by now, but the Vikings' outing against the New Orleans Saints could have been a whole lot worse.

Jeff Reed, K: 3 for 5 on field goals and 9 fantasy points. You can take the glass-half-full view that Reed put up the type of points you would want from your fantasy kicker, or you can take the glass-half-empty view that Reed missed two kicks, including one that would have prevented Rashard Mendenhall's overtime run from ever happening.

Anyway, next up for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team is a matchup against the Hudson Valley Hawks. The lineup polls are now open (under the NASCAR polls) and will close Sunday morning. Please vote now.

We'll be back with some information about this week's NASCAR track.

Weekend Reading

The polls on the right side of this page will close Sunday morning. While you consider what to do with our lineup and the question about your own fantasy football team, here are some links to visit  in between your college games.

Not exactly a fan favorite, is he? The Kansas City Chiefs were having a rough season even before Larry Johnson decided to make a fool of himself. Now some fans have had enough of LJ. They've started a petition asking the Chiefs not to let him get the 75 rushing yards he needs to supplant Priest Holmes as Kansas City's all-time leader. How awkward would it be to have him on your fantasy team and learn that his own team's fans don't want him to put up 75 yards. Of course, with the way he's been producing lately, that could be a moot point.

What do you think you are, a quarterback? There were questions for the Jacksonville Jaguars after Maurice Jones-Drew got only 8 carries (and 177 yards) last week against the Tennessee Titans. Now the Jaguars are saying the fault lies not with the coaches, but with David Garrard, who had been audibling out of run plays and into passing plays. Jack Del Rio says he told his quarterback "Look, just hand it to him and let him run the ball."

If you have Jones-Drew on your fantasy team, I suppose this is good news. Of course, if you have Garrard, being told he can't call a pass play if he's sees an opportunity for one at the line is not very good news. Whether this is good news for the few remaining Jaguars fans remains to be seen.

Need a trophy for your league? You could go to your local trophy shop or to eBay, but now there's another alternative: the Arena Football League, which is selling pretty much everything it has left. Maybe you and your buddies can compete for the right to keep the Arena Bowl trophy in your living room for the next 12 months.

Down with the Drew Brees-loving capitalist horde! In the never-ending quest to provide you with alternative opinions on the game we love, I present a thought from a fellow Wordpress blogger, the Langston Escape Plan. The post's title: "Why the Third World Hates Us: Fantasy Football." The premise: People who spend their day scrounging up enough food to survive and protecting themselves from rampaging thugs don't have the time or resources to worry about whether the Steelers defense can stop the Denver Broncos.

"Imagine, if you will, that you are a fantasy football fan trying to explain to someone from the slums of India, the streets of oppressed Pyongyang or just about anywhere in Somalia why you spend any amount of time on it. What would you say? Because your bros do it? Because you can win even more disposable income? Because it’s fun?"

I imagine the same thing could be said about people who worry about things like Jennifer Aniston's love life, but the point is an interesting one, nonetheless.

Anyway, we'll be back tomorrow with poll results. Until then, enjoy the games.