Quick Update, Fresh Polls

Rather than continuing to wait for Rex Ryan to say something provocative about the Pittsburgh Steelers, we'll catch you up on how the People's Playoffs are faring. The Internet's favorite playoff fantasy football team had a rough divisional round, scoring only 108 points and falling to second place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern group standings with a total score of only 221. We now trail the Jersey Mob (hopefully not that one) by 29 points.
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.

The People's Choice - Divisional Round (and Predictions)

The votes are in, and you, the Internet, have made the following choices for the People's Pigskin for this divisional round of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge.
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.

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It Was a Heck of a Run

...but one that came up just short of the goal for the People's Pigskin. We would like to congratulate the Fighting Amish for winning the People's League championship. It was a title that was hard-fought but richly deserved.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team fell this week by a score of 82-67.

The final overall score for the two-week championship was 171-144.
As promised, here is a look at the individual player results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 27 of 41 passing, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns and 18 fantasy points. Manning did his part both for fantasy football teams and for his Indianapolis Colts, who clinched the AFC South title and the conference's No. 3 playoff seed.
Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 67 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble and 10 fantasy points. The second red-zone fumble in as many games has to raise a red flag for the Atlanta Falcons, who nevertheless wrapped up home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Knowshon Moreno, RB: 6 rushes for 41 yards, 1 reception for 2 yards and 4 fantasy points. If the Broncos stick with Tim Tebow next season, his ability to call his own number will hurt the fantasy value of anyone sharing a backfield with him.
Dwayne Bowe, WR: 5 receptions, 68 yards and 6 fantasy points. It didn't help his fantasy cause that Bowe's quarterback was sacked 7 times. Regardless, Bowe ended the season as fantasy football's top receiver.
Kenny Britt, WR: 5 receptions, 85 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Britt got most of his points on a single throw from Kerry Collins -- before Collins forgot how to take a snap.
Calvin Johnson, Flex: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. Yes, Johnson was active for the Detroit Lions, but it seems that just because you're listed as "active" does not mean you will actually ... you know ... take the field. On behalf of fantasy football players everywhere, thanks for resting Megatron for the Pro Bowl, Detroit Lions.
Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 22 yards and 2 fantasy points. It wasn't a good season to be a top-notch tight end such as Antonio Gates (or Dallas Clark). Will the 2010 injuries shake up the 2011 tight end rankings? We'll find out in a few months.
Washington Redskins, D/ST: 1 interception, 17 points allowed and 3 fantasy points. The Shanahans clearly have a lot of work to do.
Olindo Mare, K: 3 for 3 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 10 fantasy points. It's safe to say Mare did at least as much as Charlie Whitehurst to get the Seattle Seahawks the NFC West title.
Again, we'd like to thank you, the Internet, for helping us get this far. This season provides strong evidence that the masses know at least as much as the "experts" about how to build a run a fantasy football team.
But don't take this blog off your reading list yet. Fantasy NASCAR will be here before we know it. In the interim, we have the playoffs, the Super Bowl and a season to review. We'll be back.

The People's Choice - Week 17

Championship Sunday is upon us, and once again we at the People's Pigskin must thank you, the Internet, for helping us pick a lineup. Here's who the Internet's favorite fantasy football team will field for the second half of the two-week People's League final against the Fighting Amish.
Quarterback: Peyton Manning has everything to play for today, so he gets the nod for the 16th time this season as he takes on the Tennessee Titans in the late afternoon.
Running back: Two backs split the vote. One was Michael Turner, who will play the Carolina Panthers. The other was Darren McFadden, who won't play anyone because he's inactive. In his place, we are turning to the other running back on our roster, Knowshon Moreno, who's questionable for the late afternoon game against the San Diego Chargers. If he can't go, we've got the next best thing: his backup, Correll Buckhalter, who will take his place in our lineup.
Wide receiver: This poll delivered two winners. Dwayne Bowe plays the Oakland Raiders, and Kenny Britt plays the Indianapolis Colts in the late afternoon.
Flex: For probably the first time all season, neither the running back poll nor the wide receiver one produced a third-place player, so we'll go to the fallback position of projected fantasy points. Calvin Johnson is expected to produce some, so he gets this spot. He plays the Minnesota Vikings.
Tight end: Once again, the winner of this poll was the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter. McMichael gets the start in a late afternoon game against the Denver Broncos, since Gates has been put on injured reserve. (We cut Gates to make room for Buckhalter on the Pigskin roster.)
There are no changes at kicker (Olindo Mare, playing Sunday night against the St. Louis Rams) or defense/special teams (the Washington Redskins, who will try to keep the New York Giants out of the playoffs).
Once again, thank you for helping to put us in this position. The poll results appear below, and a ridiculously premature Super Bowl poll is now available for your votes. Enjoy the games. We'll be back with the results.
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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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Another Victory (and Another Set of Polls)

The People's Pigskin bounced back from last week's defeat and beat the NFL2K10 RedZone by a score of 113-92, and we didn't even need Michael Vick's epic performance to do it. We just needed the help of you, the Internet, in selecting our lineup, and thanks to your help, we now lead the People's League with an 8-2 record. Here's the breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 20 of 36 passing, 185 yards and 7 fantasy points. Here's another example of the difference between real football and fantasy football. Manning had his worst fantasy day of the season, but his team still beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 39 yards and 3 fantasy points. Turner played a surprisingly small role in the Atlanta Falcons come-from-behind victory Thursday night.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 22 rushes for 106 yards, 3 receptions for 50 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 fantasy points. One benefit of being a running back on a team that's blowing out its opponent is that your team is likely to spend the second half running the ball.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 13 receptions, 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and 30 fantasy points. Of course, if you're a receiver on the other side of a blowout, you can expect to stay busy throughout the game as your team tries to come back. (Just don't expect the coaches to shake hands afterwards.)

Calvin Johnson, WR: 10 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Johnson nearly helped the Detroit Lions keep the Buffalo Bills winless with his late score, but the 2-point conversion came up short, and the Lions earned the title "Unluckiest Team in History."

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 7 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Mister Eight-Five hurt his shoulder but stayed in the game and even recovered a late onside kick.

Tony Moeaki, TE: 1 reception, 34 yards and 3 fantasy points. Thank goodness bye weeks are over.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 1 sack, 29 points allowed and minus-1 fantasy point. It's too bad ESPN doesn't award fantasy points for knocking quarterbacks out of the game. That's the one thing this team did well on Sunday.

Olindo Mare, K: 5 for 6 on field goals, 3 for 3 on PATs and 18 fantasy points. Seattle's uneven offense can create a lot of opportunities for a kicker.

Bench: Justin Forsett, who lost a tiebreaker for the flex spot, scored 15 fantasy points. Chad Henne put up 11 before leaving his game with an injury, and Vince Young scored 4 after relieving Kerry Collins.

Now it's time to turn our attention to this week's matchup against the Hudson Valley Hawks. The football lineup polls are now open. The one on Chad Henne (who -- fair warning -- may not even start for the Miami Dolphins) will close Thursday. The others will close on Sunday. Please vote now.

We'll be back with a look at NASCAR's final race of 2010.

And the Ruling on Turner Is ...

This is a quick post to let you know that you, the Internet, decided that Michael Turner should start this week for the People's Pigskin. He plays tonight against the Baltimore Ravens.

Thanks for voting in this poll. The results appear below. The NASCAR polls will close later tonight, while the other football polls will close Sunday morning. We'll be back shortly with some fantasy thoughts. Stay tuned.

[polldaddy poll=4049618]

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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