Off to a Wild Start

Sorry this post is so late...I was waiting for Stephen Ross to return my calls.
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.

Brandon, Jimmie et al

Today's post is designed to satisfy both sets of fans of the People's Pigskin: those who love fantasy football and those who love fantasy racing.

First, here's the racing information. There is still time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Texas. But we need to issue a quick reminder. According to Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing's rules (which you can read in full by clicking here), a team is only allowed to start a certain driver nine times during the course of the Sprint Cup season. And this is a season that lasts until a week before Thanksgiving.

Therefore, when you vote, you might want to remember that certain drivers have already made frequent appearances in the starting lineup. For example, Jimmie Johnson has appeared four times so far, so we can use him only five more times this season, and we might want to use him during the Chase, when he won four races last year. Similarly, Matt Kenseth has made five appearances (and has four left), while Kevin Harvick has made four appearances (and has five left). Just saying.

Now, on to the fantasy football news. The Miami Dolphins traded a pair of draft picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for headache/wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Who does this affect? First and foremost, ESPN's Christopher Harris says the trade helps Chad Henne, who may finally get to run a grown-up NFL offense now. Second, the good folks at Shutdown Corner say the trade may seal Ted Ginn's fate. Third...well, I'd say how this affects the Broncos starting quarterback, but that would suggest I knew who that will be.

Anyway, we will be back tomorrow with some facts about this week's race. Until then, feel free to vote.