Fearless Predictions - Week 10

Like the Chicago Bears, the weekly predictions for the People's League took a big step back toward respectability last week by going 4-1, lifting our season record to 20-24-1. One more week like that, and we'll be near the .500 mark. With that goal in mind, here come this week's fantasy football forecasts.

People's Pigskin vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll: The Houll used three players on Thursday night and got 11 points. The Pigskin used one player (Michael Bush) and scored 29 points. Mathematics alone point toward another Pigskin win.

VinSethVaughn Bears vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs: Both sides have full complements of players available. The difference here may be in the receivers. The Buccs can get tons of points quickly from Santonio Holmes and Julio Jones. That's enough to pick the Buccs here.

LA Lockouts vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2: The Lockouts got 4 points from Nick Novak on Thursday, while the Hawks got 19 from Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates. Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson seem primed for big outings, and they should drive the Lockouts to another victory.

Arcadia Roses vs. Glen Gardner's Finest: Both teams are 5-4 and have full complements of players. This could easily by the highest-scoring matchup in the People's League. The Finest have the finest of edges here by virtue of a New York Jets defense that can wreak havoc on the New England Patriots.

Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85 vs. Team Brotherton: The BearDowns got 8 points from Vincent Jackson and Sebastian Janikowski on Thursday. The Brothertons have a full complement of players, including a sneaky-good Jermichael Finley playing Monday night. Even if the Brothertons don't wrap up the win on Sunday, Finley should push them over the top.

As always, thanks for reading. We'll be back with some results (and some new polls requiring immediate votes).

The People's Choice - Charlotte

Watching the New York Jets implode under the weight of their own hubris has been fun for the last couple of days. But fortunately, you, the Internet, have been busy making selections for the People's Pitstop. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Saturday night's Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A List: This week's poll resulted in a tie between Carl Edwards, the current points leader and defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Thursday evening's qualifying session put Carl Edwards in the 3rd starting spot, six points in front of Johnson and high enough to get the People's Pitstop 3 bonus points.

B List: It's a good thing we have four roster spots for this group of drivers, because we had a four-way tie involving Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya. Martin (13th) and Earnhardt (15th) will start, while Keselowski (26th) and Montoya (32nd) will watch the proceedings from the bench.

C List: Another poll, another tie. We're starting to look like John Belushi in the disciplinary hearing scene of "Animal House." This tie was between the new usual suspects, Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. And if there could have been a tie in qualifying, these two drivers probably would have done that, too. As it turns out, Smith (21st) is one spot in front of Labonte and gets the start.

Remember that the fantasy football polls are still open and will remain open until Saturday night. The People's Pigskin needs all the help it can get in getting its season back on track. Please vote now.

We'll be back with our weekly NASCAR predictions.

The People's Choice - Conference/Super Bowl Rounds

You, the Internet, have stepped up to the plate and helped the People's Playoffs pick its lineup for the final two rounds of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our roster locks once the NFC Championship game starts, and it will stay locked all the way through the Super Bowl. The Internet's favorite playoff fantasy football team needs to make up a deficit against the Jersey Mob for control of the 9beersfantasysportstavern group. Here are the players who will help us do it.
Quarterback: In the NFC slot, we have a familiar face. Aaron Rodgers will start for the third -- and fourth -- straight week. On the AFC side, we have a newcomer (to our squad, not to the playoffs): Ben Roethlisberger.
Running back: Both our running backs from the previous round were eliminated, so we have two fresh faces here. From the AFC, we have Rashard Mendenhall. From the NFC, we have the Green Bay Packers rookie James Starks. By contrast ...
Wide receiver: Continuity carried the day in these polls. Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace keep their starting spots from last week.
Tight end: We had a nice run with Todd Heap, but the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped it dead in its tracks. It's appropriate, then, that Heath Miller of the Steelers take his place in our lineup.
Defense/special teams: Yes, there are questions about how effective Troy Polamalu will be this week. But that didn't stop you from selecting the Steelers to take over where the Baltimore Ravens left off.
Kicker: An incumbent has been unseated. Nick Folk was available to you, but you decided you didn't trust the New York Jets kicking game at Heinz Field. You went instead with Mason Crosby, who gets the relatively stable conditions at Soldier Field.
If you haven't noticed already, our lineup is filled with Packers and Steelers. If both teams make the Super Bowl, we'll be able to make a real splash. If the Jets and the Chicago Bears prevail ... well, at least we'll have time to discuss what's been going on in NASCAR.
The poll results appear below, and another Super Bowl poll is now available for voting. Enjoy the games!
[polldaddy poll=4427870] [polldaddy poll=4427874] [polldaddy poll=4427878] [polldaddy poll=4427884] [polldaddy poll=4427887] [polldaddy poll=4427895] [polldaddy poll=4427905] [polldaddy poll=4427913] [polldaddy poll=4427916]

Fearless Predictions - Conference Championships

There's still time to vote on the People's Playoffs roster for this week (and for Super Bowl week, since the rosters will lock on Sunday). While you contemplate your selections, it's time to tell you what will happen Sunday in the NFL conference championship games. Last week's predictions went 3-1, raising the playoff forecast record to a respectable 4-4.
NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears. We'll set aside the question Bill Simmons fielded Friday about whether these two teams have a rivalry. Instead, we'll focus on what both teams bring to the table. Green Bay brings Charles Woodson, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as well as Clay Matthews Jr., one of the favorites to take that honor this season. Chicago has Jay Cutler, who will be starting the second playoff game of his professional career. (By contrast, Mark Sanchez will be starting his sixth.) They also have Mike Martz, who sometimes still calls games as if he feels the words "blocking" and "tight end" don't belong in the same paragraph. Evidence? Cutler was sacked a league-leading 52 times this season, or 12 more times than runner-up Joe Flacco. When it comes down to it, the people who bring you the People's Pigskin trust Matthews, Woodson and their cohorts more than they trust Cutler and his offensive line. The Packers win a third straight road game and punch their ticket for the Super Bowl.
AFC Championship: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. There is no question that Mark Sanchez has evolved into a legitimate NFL quarterback. And Rex Ryan is proving that he can back up his big words with big games. But once again, it's a question of who do you trust. Pittsburgh has Ben Roethlisberger, who may have ridden Jerome Bettis' coattails to one Super Bowl ring but more than earned his second with a drive that culminated with one of the most famous catches in postseason history. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, we have Antonio Cromartie (remember him?), who can stand on his head one week and fall flat on his face the next. He stood on his head last week against the New England Patriots. But if the question is which player is more likely to come through again this week, the answer has to be Roethlisberger until someone proves otherwise. The Steelers march on to Arlington and the House That Texas Taxpayers Built.
We'll be back with the poll results.

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.

Recommended Thursday Night Reading

(First, a quick NASCAR note: Remember the other day, when I wrote that Clint Bowyer was a legitimate contender to dethrone Jimmie Johnson as the Sprint Cup champion, as long as he kept passing inspections? Um ... never mind.)

Here are a few links for you fantasy football fans to peruse while you wait for the weekend to arrive.

Yes, the first one is about kickers. Deal with it. I'm sure somebody out there lost a fantasy football game because of what happened to Graham Gano. He was the Washington Redskins kicker who kicked what should have been the game-winning field goal Sunday against Houston, only Gary Kubiak called timeout, forcing Gano to rekick (and miss).

More than a few people are thinking "There ought to be a rule against that sort of thing." But according to the Wall Street Journal, that might not be necessary. The Journal studied NFL kicks attempted since 2000 in overtime or the last two minutes of regulation, and it found kickers are more likely to make their kicks if the opposing coach uses the old "icing the kicker" trick.

Of course, that's cold comfort for those who lost the game thanks to Gano's miss and/or Neil Rackers' subsequent game-winning kick.

So let me get this straight ... The Oakland Raiders are smart for calling on Bruce Gradkowski to start in Week 3 over a healthy Jason Campbell, but the Philadelphia Eagles are crazy for calling on Michael Vick to start in Week 3 over a now-healthy Kevin Kolb? In the immortal words of Chevy Chase, can I get a ruling on this?

(Here's your ruling: Start Vick if you have him. Wait and see on Gradkowski.)

The dummy factor. As long as it involves NFL players, fantasy football will always have to deal with situations like Braylon Edwards' DWI arrest -- which, before we go on, was despicable, especially given the program that the team offers to its players precisely to prevent things like this from happening.

The courts will have their say on the matter in due time, and Roger Goodell may or may not wait until then to render his verdict. In the meantime, the New York Jets have a game to play Sunday night, and their plans for Edwards remain murky. The team has said he won't start but will play against the Dolphins. That could mean he'll miss the first series but will play the rest of the game. It could mean he could make a token appearance in the fourth quarter. It could mean anything in between.

For fantasy players, it means that, in addition to getting ready for the possibility of a suspension down the road, they have to consider Edwards less of an effective option than he would have been as a starter.

All because he didn't pick up his phone and say, "Can I get a lift?"

Please vote now on the NASCAR polls. They will close in a few hours, so we can set the People's Pitstop lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session. We'll be back with the results.

Last Word? Try Opening Salvo

Everyone circles a certain date on the NFL offseason calendar: the day by which all teams must whittle their lineups to 53 players. "Cut day" is known far and wide as the date when many football dreams die, as well as the day when players learn whether they are "safe," or at least as safe as a player ever can be in this league.

It's also the day when we fantasy players are supposed to have some sort of clarity about who's part of a team's plans and who's not. Matt Leinart wasn't part of the plan for the Arizona Cardinals. Ditto for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the Seattle Seahawks.

This year, "cut day" was Saturday, September 4. But it was also the day when some NFL teams seemed to start forming their plans for the 2010-11 season.

Since Saturday, there have been plenty of reports about plenty of players. Some of the stories are absolutely useless to the average fantasy players. In one Yahoo fantasy league, I happen to have Tom Brady, whose name had a "breaking news" icon next to it this evening. The news that Yahoo felt fantasy players needed to know? The New England Patriots are reportedly close to signing Brady to an extension. The effect of that potential deal on this year's fantasy teams? None.

There was also news about a certain Heisman trophy winner (this one, not this one) potentially being stripped of that trophy. The effect of that on this year's fantasy teams? None. As we learned on "cut day" when two former winners got the axe, the NFL hasn't taken a player's trophy case into account for a long time.

Now, on to the post-cut developments that will affect fantasy teams. First, Darrelle Revis made a lot of fantasy players happy by deciding not to extend his holdout into the regular season. So, yes, those of you who drafted the New York Jets defense/special teams way too early can breathe easier.

If you spent a late pick on the Washington Redskins defense, it's time to scan the waiver wire. Albert Haynesworth, the $100 million malcontent who has spent the preseason ticking off his coaches, may soon be out the door. Since all he'd probably draw is draft picks, he will leave a hole in the middle. Whether a hole would be better than Haynesworth is up to fantasy players.

Oh, and as far as Houshmandzadeh, Leinart and Troy Smith are concerned, all three have new homes now. Houshmandzadeh will probably get significant playing time Monday night, while the other two are only a play like this away from being relevant in fantasy football again.

It just goes to show that fantasy football is a seven-days-a-week hobby. Plan accordingly.

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

Yes, Virginia, You Should Watch Preseason

Most fans of the National Football League, even the ones who watched "Big Fan" and thought "What a lightweight," find preseason football about as stimulating as listening to this guy. However, in between your perusal of things such as Christopher Harris' list of "must-draft players," Brad Evans' ADP Progress Report and Bill Simmons' analysis of the 10 types of holdouts, all fantasy football players should find some room in their busy August schedules to catch a few preseason games.

I'm not saying you should shell out the legalized-extortion money that teams charge fans to come to their stadiums and see future high school coaches play for an entire half. I'm also not saying you need to stay tuned for every last two-minute drill. But I am saying that preseason games can offer some clues about how certain players will be used in the regular season (and whether said players are worthy of our draft/auction consideration). A few examples:

Who will carry the rock? (And I don't mean Rex Ryan's gut): Giants vs. Jets, Monday, Aug. 16, ESPN. Ryan has already signaled that he will break with NFL tradition by playing his starters beyond the first quarter. But he has not shown his hand when it comes to his starting running back. LaDainian Tomlinson is the newcomer and a former fantasy MVP, but he's taken more abuse than the Bluesmobile. Shonn Greene has been called the Jets "bell cow," but how many mistakes would it take for him to find the bench?

Playing a game of catch: Cowboys at Texans, Saturday, Aug. 28, CBS.  Miles Austin saved many a fantasy player's bacon with his breakout 2009 season. But Roy Williams seems to be eager to dispel the notion that the Cowboys paid a king's ransom for a court jester. And then there's Dez Bryant, who's out of his cast and may be ready to play when this game comes around. And we haven't even discussed the potential of a Kim Kardashian factor yet.

Some people call me ... Tim: Steelers at Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 29, Fox. The Broncos could have simply traded for Brady Quinn and had him match up with Kyle Orton in an old-fashioned quarterback competition. Instead, they traded up to get Tim Tebow and throw a monkey wrench at every fantasy football player. Tebow is a truly long shot for the starting job, at least in his rookie season. But what happens if the Broncos decide to use him in some option packages? Will they have to make Quinn or Orton the emergency third quarterback? Will we be able to draft Tebow as a tight end? Will we be able to take him seriously after this?

(Those of you who have NFL Network will get a head start on the rest of us. They'll be broadcasting Denver's game against the Bengals on Sunday.)

All of the above: Eagles at Bengals, Friday, August 20, Fox. Then there are games like this one that offer multiple questions. How will Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick split their quarterback snaps? Can Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens co-exist once they realize that only one of them will be the Bengals' No. 1 receiver? Who's going to fill Michael Westbrook's shoes as both a running back and a target of fantasy players' ire?

You can wait like everyone else to read the game stories, or you can watch and try to answer these questions for yourself.

We'll be back with our NASCAR predictions.

Coming Soon (or Not) to a Camp Near You

There are some things that always happen at this time of year. Someone will try to get America to care about golf's fourth major, and NFL players are going through training camp.

Most of them, that is.

While you're getting ready for your draft (regardless of how it is set up), some teams are dealing with players who, for one reason or another, have decided to stretch out their summer vacation. Here are a few examples, and whether fantasy players need to be worried about them.

Darrelle Revis, New York Jets. If you caught the first episode of this year's "Hard Knocks," you saw a lot of people, but Revis was not one of them. He wants to get Nnamdi Asomugha money. And Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, has raised the possibility that Revis will miss the season as a result of this holdout. Should fantasy players be concerned? Yes. Revis is one of the primary reasons the Jets defense will be one of the first off your draft board.

Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers. He's one of several Chargers involved in contract disputes. One of the others, Shawne Merriman, is reportedly ready to sign his deal, but Jackson has been away from the team long enough that he's "not a part of the plan" anymore. If you're a fantasy player, you probably cooled off on Jackson a long time ago. The reason: He faced a three-game DUI suspension the moment he signs, anyway.

Logan Mankins, New England Patriots. Yes, we're going to discuss a guard's holdout. He's trying to get something the Patriots are loath to give out: a lucrative deal. You probably aren't going to draft him (unless you're using the services of our friends at Trench Fantasy), but you probably have an eye on the man he guards. Should fantasy players be concerned? Not yet. Keep an eye on Dan Connolly during the preseason games. He wouldn't be the first Patriot to come out of nowhere and become an All-Pro player.

A certain quarterback, Minnesota Vikings. He's not the first veteran to decide he doesn't like training camp. He's just inspiring more stories than most. Unless he files retirement papers with the National Football League office (something he didn't do after either of his previous two stops), you should expect to see him show up as late as he can get away with.

Incidentally, would we all feel differently about him if all these stories about his situation used the word "holdout"? He is under contract, after all.

Anyway, the lineup polls for the People's Pitstop will close later tonight. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.

Suspensions and Fantasy Football

Don't know if you've heard yet, but Ben Roethlisberger is in trouble with the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that Roethlisberger would start the 2010 football season on suspension. Most of the headlines will say the suspension is for six games, but it's actually designed to be reduced to four games if Roethlisberger complies with some easily reached terms. Put simply, if he's still suspended on week 5, something has gone horribly wrong.

For the purposes of this post, we will set aside questions about things like the morality of Roethlisberger's actions and the legality of suspending someone who wasn't even indicted. Instead, we'll consider this case from the perspective of fantasy football fans, who have to decide what to do with Roethlisberger and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers. After all, he did rank 9th among quaterbacks in ESPN fantasy points last season.

Unless something radical happens Thursday at the NFL draft, the Steelers probably will turn over the offense to recent re-acquisition Byron Leftwich (who ranked 42nd last year) or Charlie Batch (who got no fantasy points whatsoever). This can't be good news for Hines Ward (who ranked 16th last year among receivers) or Mike Wallace (who ranked 28th).

I'd mention the effect on Santonio Holmes, but there really isn't one. There are two reasons for that. First, Holmes is now a New York Jet. Second, as a result of a drug policy violation, Holmes has earned a suspension of his own: four games. Maybe he can run patterns for Roethlisberger while they serve their suspensions together.

And yes, most of the above can be wiped out with the right move during the NFL Draft, which starts Thursday. The People's Pigskin's draft-related poll will close late Wednesday. We'll be back with some facts about the NASCAR race in Talladega.

A Football-Related Interlude

Yes, this blog still covers fantasy football, and yes, the National Football League is having a busy offseason. From the fantasy perspective, some of the recent football headlines don't really carry a lot of long-term weight ("Coin Flip Irks Jets Owner," for instance). Some of them, of course, may have profound consequences for your next fantasy draft, which is only ... wow, four and a half months away.

Here are a few of the developments that deserve your attention as fantasy fans.

The Big Brown Quarterback Purge. It's been quite a week for Mike Holmgren and Company. First the Cleveland Browns acquired Seneca Wallace from the Seattle Seahawks. Then the Browns showed Derek Anderson the door. Then the Browns picked up Jake Delhomme from the scrap heap (that is, if anyone still getting millions from the Carolina Panthers can be considered a "scrap heap" candidate). Then the Browns dealt Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos for, among other things, Peyton Hillis.

Who's the winner here? Right now it looks like Quinn, whose competition for starting status just went from Derek Anderson to Kyle Orton. It's certainly not the Browns, whose new starter has to prove that he still knows how to complete a pass to someone other than the other team's safety.

L-D-T-Is a JET! JET! JET! Just a couple of years ago, LaDainian Tomlinson was the clear-cut, no-brainer first choice in every fantasy draft in America. This spring he got a new title: salary-cap casualty. After a visit with the Minnesota Vikings went nowhere, Tomlinson found a new home with the New York Jets. The Jets can use whatever he has left in the tank, and Tomlinson has to be happy that his primary competition for playing time (for the moment) is Shonn Greene.

So, About That Tim Guy... If you buy the thesis that Tim Tebow was the greatest college football player of all time, then it had to hurt to hear that the former Florida Gators quarterback has throwing issues that could affect his professional future. However, if you thought that college football had produced better players (Herschel Walker, anyone?), then the news that Tebow may not be an instant Canton candidate was less earth-shattering. Either way, Tebow's supposed to unveil a new-and-improved motion at Florida's pro day Wednesday. It better be good; the NFL draft is only a month away.

We'll be back tomorrow with some more thoughts on racing.

Conference Championship Predictions

Sorry this post didn't get up sooner, but I'm still waiting to hear about the Raiders job.

There's still time to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for the conference championship round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. One reminder: Drew Brees would get double the points if he makes the lineup, and the New York Jets defense/special teams would get triple the points.

Now it's time to do something that thousands of people across the country are doing right now, online and off: make predictions for the National Football League conference championships. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a postseason record of 4-4. It's time to break out of mediocrity.

AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets. The last time these two franchises met (which wasn't Super Bowl III, no matter what the NFL Network might want you to believe), Peyton Manning and company left the game in the third quarter, ending the Colts' chances for an undefeated season and easing the Jets path to the playoffs.

And how much influence will that have on Sunday's championship game? The same amount of influence that the result of Super Bowl III will have: Jack Squat.

Clearly, Mark Sanchez has defied expectations this postseason. (It always helps to have a solid defense and a running game that doesn't humiliate itself.) Nevertheless, it's still Peyton Manning's world, and the rest of us are just watching it. The one thing this season has shown us is that Peyton could direct touchdown drives even if Robin Williams' character from "The Best of Times" lined up at receiver. This game could come down to somebody leading a 90-second scoring drive at the end. If that's the case, which quarterback do you want? The Colts take this one.

NFC Championship: New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings. One team lead the NFL in scoring this season and has the quarterback who threw for the most touchdowns this season. The other team is being led by a quarterback last seen performing "Pants on the Ground." No, I'm not linking to Brett Favre's version or the original. Both songs have gotten far more attention than they deserve.

So has Favre.

Yes, he proved that he can still throw a football down the field. Yes, his interceptions and fumbles dropped considerably this season. However, Drew Brees beat Favre this season in yardage, completion percentage, touchdowns and quarterback rating. If you look at statistics for this postseason, Brees is still beating Favre in percentage and yardage. And given the way Favre handled everything from his signing with the Vikings to his relationship with Brad Childress, Brees has to be leading in one other crucial category: karma. All that adds up to the first Super Bowl appearance in the Saints' history.

Remember to vote in our polls, and do whatever you can to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. We'll be back Sunday with poll results and an announcement.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4767366

About Last Weekend (and the Next One)

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team found itself running to stand still, and in this case, that's not necessarily a good thing.

The People's Pigskin managed to score 108 points this past week in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. That's 9 fewer points than we scored in the wild card round, despite having four players eligible for double points. The 225 total points leaves the Pigskin tied for 38,805th overall and tied for 14th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here is the breakdown.

Drew Brees, QB. The stats: 247 yards passing, 3 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. Given the pinball numbers the New Orleans Saints compiled against the Arizona Cardinals, one would think Brees' statistics would be stronger than this.

Ray Rice, RB. The stats: 67 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards, 1 fumble and 24 fantasy points. Because he was in our lineup for the second straight week, Rice received double the points for his efforts. And even if the same had held true for the Baltimore Ravens as a team, it wouldn't have been enough to get them to the next round.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB. The stats: 24 rushing yards and 2 fantasy points. There's plenty of speculation about whether Tomlinson will be with the San Diego Chargers next season. Certainly one place he won't be is in many starting fantasy lineups.

Miles Austin, WR. The stats: 34 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards and 3 fantasy points. It seems the only people reaping fantasy points from the Dallas Cowboys offensive drives played for the Minnesota Vikings defense.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR. The stats: 77 receiving yards and 14 fantasy points. Another player getting double the points for a team that even more help than that getting to the next round. (Maybe the Arizona Cardinals should have borrowed the Vikings defense.)

Jason Witten, TE. The stats: 98 receiving yards and 18 fantasy points. The point doubling made his stats look decent. Unfortunately, that's all they did.

Nate Kaeding, K. The stats: 0 for 3 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. In a word, augh. You'd think the San Diego Chargers had signed Lucy Van Pelt to be the holder.

New York Jets, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 14 points allowed, 344 yards allowed and 24 fantasy points. Unlike the three other players who reaped the benefit of point doubling, the Jets are still playing and still available to us for the conference championships.

Speaking of which, it's time for you, the Internet, to pick the lineup for Sunday's games between the Vikings and the Saints and between the Jets and the Colts. Brees is eligible for double the points, and the Jets defense/special teams are eligible for triple the points. Please vote accordingly, and please remember that you're voting for two running backs and two wide receivers. The lineup polls will close on Sunday.

The People's Choice - Division Round

Another week has come and gone, and you, the Internet, have spoken yet again. The votes are in for the lineup the People's Pigskin will field in week 2 of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. Here are the results.

Quarterback. With Aaron Rodgers no longer available, you voted to give Drew Brees the starting spot. His New Orleans Saints take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Saturday afternoon game.

Running back. Everyone voted to keep Ray Rice in the lineup. He gets double the points this round, and his Baltimore Ravens visit the Indianapolis Colts Saturday night. For the other running back spot, it came down to a tie between Marion Barber and LaDainian Tomlinson. A coin was flipped, and the winner was Tomlinson. His San Diego Chargers face the New York Jets in the late Sunday afternoon game.

Wide receiver. There were two clear winners in this pool. One was Larry Fitzgerald, who gets double the points this round. His Arizona Cardinals face the Saint. The other clear winner was Miles Austin, whose Dallas Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings in the early Sunday afternoon game.

Tight end. The voting produced a tie between Jason Witten and Dallas Clark. Since Witten is worth double the points this round, Witten gets the nod. His Cowboys visit the Vikings.

Kicker. Another position, another tie. This one pits Jay Feely against Nate Kaeding. Another coin was flipped, and the winner was Kaeding. His San Diego Chargers get the Jets.

Defense/special teams. There was a tie here between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Since the Jets will get double the points for making it to week 2, they get the nod here for their game against the Chargers.

Thanks for your votes. We have another poll up now that acknowledges that -- gasp! -- there's life after football season. We'd appreciate your vote there, too. The results from our lineup polls can be seen below.

[polldaddy poll=2515097] [polldaddy poll=2515125] [polldaddy poll=2515143] [polldaddy poll=2515164] [polldaddy poll=2515174] [polldaddy poll=2515184]

An Overdue Update (and New Polls)

First of all, congratulations are in order (sort of) for Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel and Matt Forte for splitting the votes in our poll on fantasy football's biggest bust. Results can be found at the bottom of this post. We could send them this trophy to commemorate this achievement, but I would worry about how they would split it.

Anyway, on to the results from week 1 of the People's Pigskin's quest to win the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team racked up 119 points, good enough to be tied for 56,791st among all NFL.com players and tied for 19th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here's a breakdown of the results.

Aaron Rodgers, QB: 28 for 42 passing for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns, 13 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 fumble, 1 interception and 40 fantasy points (top score among quarterbacks).

Ray Rice, RB: 159 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns and 27 fantasy points (top score among running backs). Also, he's worth double the points this week if we keep him in the lineup.

Ryan Grant, RB: 65 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards and 8 fantasy points.

DeSean Jackson, WR: 14 receiving yards, 1 touchdown and 7 fantasy points.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 6 receptions for 82 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble and 20 fantasy points. (Only Steve Breaston had more among receivers.) Also, Fitzgerald is eligible for double points.

Jason Witten, TE: 27 receiving yards and 2 fantasy points. The good news: He's also eligible for double points.

Stephen Gostkowski, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points.

New York Jets, D/ST: 14 points allowed, 281 yards allowed, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery and 13 fantasy points. This defense is worth double the points this week.

Now it's time for you, the Internet, to help select the team that will take the field for the People's Pigskin. Remember that you're voting for 2 running backs and 2 receivers, and that Rice, Fitzgerald, Witten and the Jets are worth double the points if we keep them in the lineup. For example, if NFL.com credits Rice with 20 fantasy points this week, the People's Pigskin would get 40 points for his work. It's a reward for being loyal to your players. (Right, Lane?)

The polls will close on Saturday before the first game kicks off. Please vote now.

[polldaddy poll=2461724]

The People's Choice - Wild Card

You, the Internet, are still speaking, even during the NFL playoffs. The People's Pigskin called on you to pick the lineup for the wild card round for the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge, and here's how you voted.

Quarterback. Your choice for this round was Aaron Rodgers. His Green Bay Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals in the late Sunday game.

Running back. One choice was clear: Ray Rice, whose Baltimore Ravens face the New England Patriots in the early Sunday game. For the other spot, it was a tie between Ryan Grant and Cedric Benson. This one came down for a coin flip (without these officials), and the winner was Grant.

Wide receiver. Here we had clear winners for both spots. The winners are DeSean Jackson, whose Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys in the Saturday night game, and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.

Tight end. Again, we have a clear winner: Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys.

Kicker. Here we have a member of the New England Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski.

Defense/special teams. This vote came down to another coin flip between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens. The coin was flipped, and the winner is the New York Jets, who get the Cincinnati Bengals in the early Saturday game.

You can follow the People's Pigskin results here. The poll results are below. You still have time to vote on the fantasy football bust of the year. We'll have those results Sunday.

[polldaddy poll=2474129] [polldaddy poll=2474143] [polldaddy poll=2474148] [polldaddy poll=2474157] [polldaddy poll=2474169] [polldaddy poll=2474174]

One Last Update for the Season

There is now only one game left in the National Football League's regular season, and the People's Pigskin will need it to be an offensive show.

In the battle for the coveted title of "Best of the Rest in the Landshark Maniacs," the Pigskin currently trails the Southern Rebels by a score of 163-131. There are no Rebels suiting up in the Sunday night game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets. There are two Pigskin players suiting up: Chad Ochocinco and Jay Feely.

In theory, at least, both teams have something on the line tonight. The Jets, of course, need to beat the Bengals to get into the NFL playoffs. The Bengals, as a result of the Houston Texans' victory over the New England Patriots, can clinch the AFC's No. 3 seed (and presumably a more favorable wild card matchup) by beating the Jets.

We'll be back with the final results and a sneak peek at next week's option for the NFL Playoff Fantasy Challenge.

Some Pre-Thanksgiving Reading

Here are some links to peruse while you consider what to do with our lineup for our upcoming matchup against the Hawaiian Surfriders.

Champ, why don't you stop talking for a while? In his always-essential "Monday Morning Quarterback," Peter King alerted football fans to a tweet he got Monday morning from our very own Chad Ochocinco:

"Good morning to all, top of the morning on this awesome football Sunday ALI-HOLMES=OCHO CINCO-NNAMDI'' I damn sure ain't HOLMES either.''

In case you missed yesterday's post, Chad got only 6 fantasy points Sunday and was kept out of the end zone by Nnamdi Asomugha and the rest of the Oakland Raiders.

Maybe Chad knew he was headed for a mediocre fantasy football performance. After all, Larry Holmes beat Muhammad Ali.

Cause for alarm. The New York Jets had to know they would need all the help they could get facing the New England Patriots in Foxboro. What they got instead was dragged out of their hotel rooms early Sunday morning when someone pulled a false fire alarm.

Once again, this is something that one of the pregame television shows could have flagged before fantasy players set their rosters. (And you can't argue that the networks didn't know about this. Players were sending out tweets starting practically the moment it happened.) Seriously, if you had known that the Jets were being pulled out of their beds that late, would you have started any of them?

The only Jet I would have started in those circumstances is Joe Namath, since he would have just been getting back to the hotel at that time, anyway.

Well, there's a switch. Unless you live in Buffalo or Jacksonville or had players from the Bills or Jaguars in your fantasy lineups, you probably did not see Eric Wood of the Buffalo Bills break his leg and end his season. That's because CBS decided that the injury was too gruesome to show in a replay. (If you want to see it for yourself, you can click here.)

It's interesting that CBS made that decision about that injury. Those of us old enough to remember Joe Theismann as something other than a TV personality remember how his playing career ended. When the Washington Redskins were playing the New York Giants on Monday night, Lawrence Taylor sacked Theismann and broke his leg in a way that probably still send chills down Joe's spine when he thinks about it. However, no one felt any qualms about replaying the hit immediately afterward or in the days, months and years that followed.

(You can see Taylor's hit, and a replay of it, by clicking here.)

We'll be back tomorrow with an early edition of the Landshark Maniacs predictions.

More Recommended Reading

The lineup and Tom Cable polls will close later tonight. In the meantime, here are some links for fellow fantasy football fans to enjoy.

Innovative, like New Coke? ESPN.com published an excerpt from Chuck Klosterman's new book "Eating the Dinosaur." The excerpt takes a look at the development of the "read option" play (a much better description than Wildcat, if you ask me) and argues that football isn't what you might think it is.

"It feels like a conservative game. It appeals to a conservative mind-set and a reactionary media and it promotes conservative values. But in tangible practicality, football is the most progressive game we have -- it constantly innovates, it immediately embraces every new technology, and almost all the important thinking about the game is liberal."

He also argues that the read option didn't exist 25 years ago, though I can think of at least one coach who would beg to differ. But never mind that. Chuck's piece (as usual) is worth your time.

Circling the wagons...to ensure the prey won't escape. I can't decide if this is a sign of the times or just the latest way for football fans to express their displeasure at their coach, but one of our fellow Wordpress users has a blog called Fire Dick Jauron! But these folks aren't just ranting. They're trying to do something more productive.

 If you live in the Buffalo area, you might have noticed a billboard urging the venerable Ralph Wilson to give Jauron his walking papers. The folks at Fire Dick Jauron! are helping raise money for the billboard (and possibly for a second one). Most "fire the coach" sites never get past the name-calling stage. This one makes you hope Mr. Jauron leased his home instead of buying it.

What's a reading list without an Ochocinco item? Here's the latest on the People's Pigskin's most quotable player, Chad Ochocinco. It seems that he plans to form a social news network on Twitter. He's calling it OCNN (Ochocinco News Network). One thing's for sure: This network will get scoops on things like uniform violations.

It's like Cliff's Notes for football. If you watch Sunday's game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, you can expect to hear about the "Heidi Game" at least once. If  you're not old enough to remember the incident, here's a video and a quick rundown.

On Nov. 17, 1968, the Raiders were trailing the Jets 32-29 when somebody decided the game was over. With 1:05 left on the clock, NBC affiliates in the eastern U.S. cut away from the game and started showing a made-for-TV remake of the movie "Heidi." In the meantime, the Raiders scored two touchdowns and won the game 43-32. NBC was flooded with angry calls, and football broadcasts have featured the phrase "will be seen in its entirety following today's game" ever since.

By the way, in researching this post, I learned that the "Heidi" in question was a made-for-TV version starring Jennifer Edwards, not the 1937 classic starring Shirley Temple. If the former ambassador is reading this, please accept my apologies for thinking you played a role in this controversy.

And apologies to the rest of you for not getting this post up sooner. There's still some time to vote in our polls. We'll be back Sunday morning with the results.

Receiver Developments

Don't oversleep if you're a fantasy football fan. If you do, you run the risk of missing major stories about your players.

If you were one of the many who drafted Michael Crabtree before the season, only to ditch him as his holdout lingered into the regular season, you may be interested to know that Crabtree has agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, this doesn't automatically make Mr. I Should Get As Much As Darrius Heyward-Bey relevant to fantasy football. Just because Crabtree is on the team does not automatically mean he'll be in the starting lineup on Sunday. He has a lot of catching up to do.

And if you're a fantasy player, that's not even the biggest news from Wednesday morning. ESPN Radio is reporting that Braylon Edwards has been traded to the New York Jets. That one, obviously, is huge. Edwards goes from playing with the Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson combo platter to catching passes from Mark Sanchez. He also escapes the Eric Mangini stalag that the Cleveland Browns are quickly becoming. (No word on whether LeBron James is letting Edwards off the hook, though.)

Back with more fantasy thoughts later.