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.
Showing posts with label Nick Folk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Folk. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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.
[polldaddy poll=4374582] [polldaddy poll=4374589] [polldaddy poll=4374593] [polldaddy poll=4374600] [polldaddy poll=4374603] [polldaddy poll=4374611]
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.
[polldaddy poll=4374582] [polldaddy poll=4374589] [polldaddy poll=4374593] [polldaddy poll=4374600] [polldaddy poll=4374603] [polldaddy poll=4374611]
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The People's Choice - Wild Card
Thanks to all of you who voted on the People's Playoffs lineup for the wild card round of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our quest to dominate the 9beersfantasysportstavern group begins with this roster. (No need to race to your TV to follow these players; all but one play on Sunday.)
Quarterback. The clear winner in this poll was Aaron Rodgers, who plays the Philadephia Eagles late Sunday afternoon. For the second QB spot, we had a tie between Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco. As the tiebreaker, we chose the player will the lower salary, and Flacco (5.7) beat Manning (6.1) for the spot. He gets the Kansas City Chiefs early Sunday afternoon.
Running back. Again, we had a clear winner: Ray Rice, who plays the Chiefs. And once again, we had a tie for the second spot. In this tiebreaker, Jamaal Charles (5.8) edged LeSean McCoy (5.9). Charles plays the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Wide receiver: Yes, we had one clear winner again: Greg Jennings, who faces the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. And once again, we have a tie for second. Jeremy Maclin (5.6) beats Dwayne Bowe (6.1) by virtue of the tiebreaker. He faces Jennings' Green Bay Packers.
Tight end: This time, there was only one spot available, and it came down to a tie between two players. Todd Heap (4.8) beat Jacob Tamme (4.9) and gets the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Kicker: Another poll, another tie. Nick Folk (4.0) beat David Akers (4.2) to give us our only Saturday player. He faces the Indianapolis Colts.
Defense/special teams: Yes, even this one resulted in a tie to be broken by salary. And, believe it or not, the Baltimore Ravens (4.5) had a lower salary than the New Orleans Saints (4.6). They get the Kansas City Chiefs.
By the way, if you would have liked a different outcome, one solution would be to get a friend to vote on these polls, too.
Speaking of polls, a new one about the wild card teams is now available for voting. Enjoy the games, everybody.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A Saturday Evening Update
My thanks to those who voted in our kicker poll. You, the Internet, voted to add Jay Feely to our lineup to replace Nick Folk. And that's exactly what the People's Pigskin did. (You can see the results for yourself at the bottom of this post.)
Speaking of our lineup, this week's version included Austin Collie, who scored 8 fantasy points Thursday night, narrowing the People's Pigskin deficit against the Houston Wreckin' Crew to 65-62. Folk is now out of our lineup, but thanks to Jeremy Shockey, the People's Pigskin will still have a stake in Saturday night's game between the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys.
There is still time to vote in the lineup poll, which will close early Sunday. Thanks in advance for voting.
(And our sympathies go out to Chris Henry's family.)
[polldaddy poll=2390302]
Speaking of our lineup, this week's version included Austin Collie, who scored 8 fantasy points Thursday night, narrowing the People's Pigskin deficit against the Houston Wreckin' Crew to 65-62. Folk is now out of our lineup, but thanks to Jeremy Shockey, the People's Pigskin will still have a stake in Saturday night's game between the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys.
There is still time to vote in the lineup poll, which will close early Sunday. Thanks in advance for voting.
(And our sympathies go out to Chris Henry's family.)
[polldaddy poll=2390302]
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Assessing the Results (and New Polls)
Well, suffice it to say that the People's Pigskin did not have the Monday night it wanted. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team now trails the Houston Wreckin' Crew by a score of 65-54. We now have a week to make up the 11-point deficit. Here's a breakdown of the week 14 results.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 16 of 29 passing for 178 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble and 1 fantasy point. We were counting on Warner to have a decent night against the San Francisco 49ers. He did not.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 12 rushes for 51 yards, 4 receptions for 17 yards and 6 fantasy points. Not the type of numbers one would want to see from a first-round fantasy pick.
Julius Jones, RB. The stats: 10 rushes for 39 yards, 1 reception for 4 yards and 3 fantasy points. Being your team's primary running back becomes less meaningful when your team falls behind by 27 points with a quarter to go.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 4 receptions, 52 yards and 5 fantasy points. On the other hand, when you're down that much, you would expect the receivers to benefit.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 56 yards, a 2-point conversion and 7 fantasy points. All that's missing are the touchdowns.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 27 yards, 1 touchdown and 8 fantasy points. See? All it takes is one trip to the end zone.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 4 receptions, 46 yards and 4 fantasy points. Jeremy just keeps chugging along in fantasy mediocrity.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 of 2 on field goals, 2 of 2 on PATs and 4 fantasy points. More on him later.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 4 fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown), 3 sacks, 1 punt returned for a touchdown, 38 points allowed and 16 fantasy points. The defense was by far the top performer for the People's Pigskin. And that's not a good thing.
Bench. Chris "Beanie" Wells scored 13 fantasy points. The San Francisco defense/special teams scored 24.
Time for a couple of new polls. The first one deals with Austin Collie, whose Indianapolis Colts play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. The poll asks whether Collie (who scored 9 fantasy points last week) should start for our team. If you vote to bench him, T.J. Houshmandzadeh will move (temporarily, at least) into his spot. This poll will close Thursday morning.
The other poll deals with our kicker. Nick Folk, now tied for 19th in fantasy points among kickers, is getting the heave-ho, and you have three candidates to take his spot.
Jay Feely, 6th among kickers with 108 points.
Matt Prater, 9th among kickers with 97.
Dan Carpenter, 10th among kickers with 95.
This poll will close Saturday. Please vote.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 16 of 29 passing for 178 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble and 1 fantasy point. We were counting on Warner to have a decent night against the San Francisco 49ers. He did not.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 12 rushes for 51 yards, 4 receptions for 17 yards and 6 fantasy points. Not the type of numbers one would want to see from a first-round fantasy pick.
Julius Jones, RB. The stats: 10 rushes for 39 yards, 1 reception for 4 yards and 3 fantasy points. Being your team's primary running back becomes less meaningful when your team falls behind by 27 points with a quarter to go.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 4 receptions, 52 yards and 5 fantasy points. On the other hand, when you're down that much, you would expect the receivers to benefit.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 56 yards, a 2-point conversion and 7 fantasy points. All that's missing are the touchdowns.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 27 yards, 1 touchdown and 8 fantasy points. See? All it takes is one trip to the end zone.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 4 receptions, 46 yards and 4 fantasy points. Jeremy just keeps chugging along in fantasy mediocrity.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 of 2 on field goals, 2 of 2 on PATs and 4 fantasy points. More on him later.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 4 fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown), 3 sacks, 1 punt returned for a touchdown, 38 points allowed and 16 fantasy points. The defense was by far the top performer for the People's Pigskin. And that's not a good thing.
Bench. Chris "Beanie" Wells scored 13 fantasy points. The San Francisco defense/special teams scored 24.
Time for a couple of new polls. The first one deals with Austin Collie, whose Indianapolis Colts play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. The poll asks whether Collie (who scored 9 fantasy points last week) should start for our team. If you vote to bench him, T.J. Houshmandzadeh will move (temporarily, at least) into his spot. This poll will close Thursday morning.
The other poll deals with our kicker. Nick Folk, now tied for 19th in fantasy points among kickers, is getting the heave-ho, and you have three candidates to take his spot.
Jay Feely, 6th among kickers with 108 points.
Matt Prater, 9th among kickers with 97.
Dan Carpenter, 10th among kickers with 95.
This poll will close Saturday. Please vote.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Pick the People's Team - Week 14
While you contemplate who needs to take Steve Slaton's place, it's time to consider the People's Pigskin's consolation round matchup against the Houston Wreckin' Crew. Here's how the lineup looks now.
Quarterback. After a phenomenal Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, Kurt Warner returns to our starting lineup. This week he gets to play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. (And since he needs to look no further than his own home to see what a head injury can do, it's safe to say he's not going to lie to the trainers to get back on the field.) Matt Cassel is available to come off the bench.
Running back. The starting lineup contains one familiar face (Matt Forte) and a newcomer, Julius Jones, the person that you, the Internet, said should replace Jamal Lewis. Forte faces the Green Bay Packers, while Jones gets the Houston Texans. If you want to bench one of them, we can call on Chris "Beanie" Wells.
Flex. One side benefit of following the People's Pigskin for fantasy football fans is that you will never have to wonder how to spell T.J. Houshmandzadeh's name again. Anyway, he gets the Texans, and Beanie Wells can take his spot if necessary.
Wide receiver. Two more familiar names here. Greg Jennings faces the Chicago Bears, while Chad Ochocinco gets the Minnesota Vikings. Nate Washington is waiting in the wings.
Defense/special teams. After a big Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles rank second in fantasy points. This week they get the New York Giants on Sunday night. The San Francisco 49ers are available on the bench.
The song remains the same at tight end (Jeremy Shockey) and kicker (Nick Folk).
The poll is up. This one, along with the two below it, will close Saturday night or Sunday morning. Be sure to vote, and be sure to enjoy tonight's Steelers-Browns game.
Quarterback. After a phenomenal Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, Kurt Warner returns to our starting lineup. This week he gets to play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. (And since he needs to look no further than his own home to see what a head injury can do, it's safe to say he's not going to lie to the trainers to get back on the field.) Matt Cassel is available to come off the bench.
Running back. The starting lineup contains one familiar face (Matt Forte) and a newcomer, Julius Jones, the person that you, the Internet, said should replace Jamal Lewis. Forte faces the Green Bay Packers, while Jones gets the Houston Texans. If you want to bench one of them, we can call on Chris "Beanie" Wells.
Flex. One side benefit of following the People's Pigskin for fantasy football fans is that you will never have to wonder how to spell T.J. Houshmandzadeh's name again. Anyway, he gets the Texans, and Beanie Wells can take his spot if necessary.
Wide receiver. Two more familiar names here. Greg Jennings faces the Chicago Bears, while Chad Ochocinco gets the Minnesota Vikings. Nate Washington is waiting in the wings.
Defense/special teams. After a big Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles rank second in fantasy points. This week they get the New York Giants on Sunday night. The San Francisco 49ers are available on the bench.
The song remains the same at tight end (Jeremy Shockey) and kicker (Nick Folk).
The poll is up. This one, along with the two below it, will close Saturday night or Sunday morning. Be sure to vote, and be sure to enjoy tonight's Steelers-Browns game.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The People's Assessment
The Landshark Maniacs regular season has come to an end, and for the People's Pigskin, it came to an end with a 74-70 loss to the D.C. Destroyers. Here's a breakdown of this week's results.
Matt Cassel, QB. The stats: 10 of 29 passing, 84 yards, 2 interceptions, 3 rushes for 17 yards, and 0 fantasy points. Cassel was pressed into service by the questions surrounding Kurt Warner's concussion. Maybe we would have been better off with this guy in the starting lineup.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 24 rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown, 1 reception for 5 yards, 1 fumble and 13 fantasy points. Another day of many touches and fewer yards than you might have a right to expect.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 13 rushes, 28 yards and 2 fantasy points. These stats are all the more glaring when you consider the way the Arizona Cardinals beat up the Minnesota Vikings.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 5 receptions, 37 yards and 3 fantasy points. Another underwhelming performance for T.J. and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks offense, despite their win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 6 receptions, 77 yards and 7 fantasy points. Jennings was targeted time and time again on Monday night, but he drew more than his fair share of pass interference penalties in an ugly contest against the Baltimore Ravens. These penalties were good for the Packers, but not the Pigskin.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 9 receptions, 137 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 fantasy points. If everyone else on the Pigskin had performed as well as Ochocinco, we might be contending for the title.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 4 receptions, 47 yards and 4 fantasy points. You'd think an offense like the New Orleans Saints would find more use for its tight end, especially when that offense needs overtime to beat the Washington Redskins.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 3 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points, and 4 fantasy points. It's a good thing Folk doesn't kick for Jim Zorn, or he'd be on the street right now.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 7 points allowed and 18 fantasy points. Whew. That's better.
Bench. Kurt Warner scored 28 fantasy points. (Yes, that makes me want to scream, too.) Steve Slaton was inactive. Nate Washington scored 4.
The People's Pigskin ends the regular season in 7th place with a record of 5-9. However, our work is not over yet.
In 10-team ESPN fantasy football leagues, the top four teams make the playoffs. (Congratulations to the Northeast Dragons, Big Lough O, Tinks Revenge and the Hawaiian Surfriders for making the real postseason.) The other teams are put in a consolation bracket where No. 5 plays No. 6, No. 7 plays No. 8 and No. 9 plays No. 10. It's kind of like those holiday basketball tournaments where the winners meet in the championship in prime time while the losers have to be at the gym at the crack of dawn for their consolation match.
In our case, that means facing the Houston Wreckin' Crew in a two-week battle (kind of like a Jeopardy tournament final) for the right to play in the fifth-place match to end the season. And as you might have guessed from the recent poll about abandoned teams, the People's Pigskin does not believe in abandoning its fantasy football obligation simply because a team is in the consolation bracket. We will fight to the bitter end. (Insert your favorite rallying speech here.)
Be sure to vote in the waiver and trophy polls. We'll be back tomorrow with a ridiculously early set of predictions, followed by a poll on what to do with our lineup for week 1 against the Wreckin Crew.
Matt Cassel, QB. The stats: 10 of 29 passing, 84 yards, 2 interceptions, 3 rushes for 17 yards, and 0 fantasy points. Cassel was pressed into service by the questions surrounding Kurt Warner's concussion. Maybe we would have been better off with this guy in the starting lineup.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 24 rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown, 1 reception for 5 yards, 1 fumble and 13 fantasy points. Another day of many touches and fewer yards than you might have a right to expect.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 13 rushes, 28 yards and 2 fantasy points. These stats are all the more glaring when you consider the way the Arizona Cardinals beat up the Minnesota Vikings.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 5 receptions, 37 yards and 3 fantasy points. Another underwhelming performance for T.J. and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks offense, despite their win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 6 receptions, 77 yards and 7 fantasy points. Jennings was targeted time and time again on Monday night, but he drew more than his fair share of pass interference penalties in an ugly contest against the Baltimore Ravens. These penalties were good for the Packers, but not the Pigskin.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 9 receptions, 137 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 fantasy points. If everyone else on the Pigskin had performed as well as Ochocinco, we might be contending for the title.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 4 receptions, 47 yards and 4 fantasy points. You'd think an offense like the New Orleans Saints would find more use for its tight end, especially when that offense needs overtime to beat the Washington Redskins.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 3 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points, and 4 fantasy points. It's a good thing Folk doesn't kick for Jim Zorn, or he'd be on the street right now.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 7 points allowed and 18 fantasy points. Whew. That's better.
Bench. Kurt Warner scored 28 fantasy points. (Yes, that makes me want to scream, too.) Steve Slaton was inactive. Nate Washington scored 4.
The People's Pigskin ends the regular season in 7th place with a record of 5-9. However, our work is not over yet.
In 10-team ESPN fantasy football leagues, the top four teams make the playoffs. (Congratulations to the Northeast Dragons, Big Lough O, Tinks Revenge and the Hawaiian Surfriders for making the real postseason.) The other teams are put in a consolation bracket where No. 5 plays No. 6, No. 7 plays No. 8 and No. 9 plays No. 10. It's kind of like those holiday basketball tournaments where the winners meet in the championship in prime time while the losers have to be at the gym at the crack of dawn for their consolation match.
In our case, that means facing the Houston Wreckin' Crew in a two-week battle (kind of like a Jeopardy tournament final) for the right to play in the fifth-place match to end the season. And as you might have guessed from the recent poll about abandoned teams, the People's Pigskin does not believe in abandoning its fantasy football obligation simply because a team is in the consolation bracket. We will fight to the bitter end. (Insert your favorite rallying speech here.)
Be sure to vote in the waiver and trophy polls. We'll be back tomorrow with a ridiculously early set of predictions, followed by a poll on what to do with our lineup for week 1 against the Wreckin Crew.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Last Week's Results (and This Week's Prospects)
The People's Pigskin had a simply awful week. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team was clobbered by the Hawaiian Surfriders by a score of 94-37. The Surfriders should get the credit for a great week, but the Pigskin got subpar results from everyone on its roster. Here's a brief breakdown:
Matt Cassel, QB. The stats: 19 of 31 passing for 178 yards, 6 rushes for 22 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble and 9 fantasy points.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 8 rushes for 27 yards, 4 receptions for 34 yards and 5 fantasy points.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 8 rushes for 20 yards, 1 reception for 21 yards and 4 fantasy points.
Greg Jennings, Flex. The stats: 4 receptions, 53 yards and 5 fantasy points.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 2 receptions, 14 yards and 1 fantasy point.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 38 yards and 3 fantasy points.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 1 reception, 15 yards and 1 fantasy point.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 2 on field goals, 3 for 3 on PATs and 5 fantasy points.
Philadelphia Eagles, DEF/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 1 sack, 24 points allowed and 4 fantasy points.
Bench. Steve Slaton scored 9 fantasy points. Nate Washington scored 6. The San Francisco 49ers scored 17. Kurt Warner was inactivated shortly before his game.
The Pigskin's record is now 5-7. Next up is the D.C. Destroyers, another 5-7 team. Here's how our lineup looks now.
Quarterback. Matt Cassel remains in the starting spot for the moment, since Warner still seems to be battling concussion symptoms. If you believe he'll be cleared to play this Sunday, you can vote to move him into the lineup.
Running back. Matt Forte keeps his spot, and Steve Slaton returns to the starting roster. If you want either of them benched, Beanie Wells can take the spot.
Flex. This week's flex starter is Jamal Lewis. If you disagree with this, you can vote to put T.J. Houshmandzadeh in this spot.
Wide receiver. Back to the well we go with Greg Jennings and Chad Ochocinco. Again, Houshmandzadeh awaits if one of these receivers should be benched.
Defense/special teams. The Philadelphia Eagles remain in the starting lineup, unless you vote to put the San Francisco 49ers into that spot.
There are no changes at tight end (Jeremy Shockey) or kicker (Nick Folk).
The lineup poll is now open. Please vote. The lineup is in your hands. Thanks.
Matt Cassel, QB. The stats: 19 of 31 passing for 178 yards, 6 rushes for 22 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble and 9 fantasy points.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 8 rushes for 27 yards, 4 receptions for 34 yards and 5 fantasy points.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 8 rushes for 20 yards, 1 reception for 21 yards and 4 fantasy points.
Greg Jennings, Flex. The stats: 4 receptions, 53 yards and 5 fantasy points.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 2 receptions, 14 yards and 1 fantasy point.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 3 receptions, 38 yards and 3 fantasy points.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 1 reception, 15 yards and 1 fantasy point.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 2 on field goals, 3 for 3 on PATs and 5 fantasy points.
Philadelphia Eagles, DEF/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 1 sack, 24 points allowed and 4 fantasy points.
Bench. Steve Slaton scored 9 fantasy points. Nate Washington scored 6. The San Francisco 49ers scored 17. Kurt Warner was inactivated shortly before his game.
The Pigskin's record is now 5-7. Next up is the D.C. Destroyers, another 5-7 team. Here's how our lineup looks now.
Quarterback. Matt Cassel remains in the starting spot for the moment, since Warner still seems to be battling concussion symptoms. If you believe he'll be cleared to play this Sunday, you can vote to move him into the lineup.
Running back. Matt Forte keeps his spot, and Steve Slaton returns to the starting roster. If you want either of them benched, Beanie Wells can take the spot.
Flex. This week's flex starter is Jamal Lewis. If you disagree with this, you can vote to put T.J. Houshmandzadeh in this spot.
Wide receiver. Back to the well we go with Greg Jennings and Chad Ochocinco. Again, Houshmandzadeh awaits if one of these receivers should be benched.
Defense/special teams. The Philadelphia Eagles remain in the starting lineup, unless you vote to put the San Francisco 49ers into that spot.
There are no changes at tight end (Jeremy Shockey) or kicker (Nick Folk).
The lineup poll is now open. Please vote. The lineup is in your hands. Thanks.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday Afternoon Reading
If you're reading this, let me congratulate you on surviving your Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday.
The People's Pigskin got off to a disappointing start against the Hawaiian Surfriders. Greg Jennings and Nick Folk scored 5 fantasy points each, giving us a 10-0 lead heading into Sunday's games. There is still time to vote on the rest of our lineup. That poll will close late Saturday night.
So before you settle into a plate of leftover turkey and a slate of college games, here are some fantasy football links to peruse.
Forget the budget! I've gotta set my lineup! Who says politicians can't make tough decisions? Twelve mayors from across the country are competing in the Yahoo Sports Mayoral Face-Off. The grand prize: a $15,000 donation to a nonprofit of the winning mayor's choice. One of the participants is Oklahoma City's Mick Cornett, a former sportscaster. How much has his sports background helped him in this competition? At the time the article was posted, his team was 11th.
Another set of opposing views. A couple of WordPress bloggers make this week's list. First, there's Big Rips, who offers this comparison of fantasy football versus gambling. The thesis: fantasy football "has turned many people into “that guy” at the bar." In this case, "that guy" means the guy who annoys everyone else in the bar, to the point where the barkeep tosses the guy out on his Oshiomogho Atogwe.
Another blogger, Glenn's World, offers some thoughts on having NFL games on Thursday. In a nutshell, Glenn would prefer to have games on Sunday or Monday only. "With every Sunday spent watching football, I really don’t want to devote more time to watching more football other days."
(Glenn also invited me to give him a set of confidence picks to compare with his own. My picks, which skipped the already-played Thursday games, can be found in the comments section of his post.)
And just in case... you haven't seen this yet, here is video proof that Ray Lewis hasn't cornered the market on big defensive plays.
We'll be back tomorrow with an update on our lineup.
The People's Pigskin got off to a disappointing start against the Hawaiian Surfriders. Greg Jennings and Nick Folk scored 5 fantasy points each, giving us a 10-0 lead heading into Sunday's games. There is still time to vote on the rest of our lineup. That poll will close late Saturday night.
So before you settle into a plate of leftover turkey and a slate of college games, here are some fantasy football links to peruse.
Forget the budget! I've gotta set my lineup! Who says politicians can't make tough decisions? Twelve mayors from across the country are competing in the Yahoo Sports Mayoral Face-Off. The grand prize: a $15,000 donation to a nonprofit of the winning mayor's choice. One of the participants is Oklahoma City's Mick Cornett, a former sportscaster. How much has his sports background helped him in this competition? At the time the article was posted, his team was 11th.
Another set of opposing views. A couple of WordPress bloggers make this week's list. First, there's Big Rips, who offers this comparison of fantasy football versus gambling. The thesis: fantasy football "has turned many people into “that guy” at the bar." In this case, "that guy" means the guy who annoys everyone else in the bar, to the point where the barkeep tosses the guy out on his Oshiomogho Atogwe.
Another blogger, Glenn's World, offers some thoughts on having NFL games on Thursday. In a nutshell, Glenn would prefer to have games on Sunday or Monday only. "With every Sunday spent watching football, I really don’t want to devote more time to watching more football other days."
(Glenn also invited me to give him a set of confidence picks to compare with his own. My picks, which skipped the already-played Thursday games, can be found in the comments section of his post.)
And just in case... you haven't seen this yet, here is video proof that Ray Lewis hasn't cornered the market on big defensive plays.
We'll be back tomorrow with an update on our lineup.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Pick the People's Team - Week 12 (and Thanksgiving Help)
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who have kept this blog going with your visits, comments and votes. We couldn't do it without you.
We had two polls close last night. The first one was about whether Greg Jennings and/or Nick Folk should start for the People's Pigskin today or be benched. You voted to keep them both in the lineup, so they'll stay right there.
The second poll was about how much football you plan to watch this weekend. As the results (at the bottom of this post) show, you won't exactly be camped out at your local retailer all weekend.
While you're waiting for the turkey to roast -- or fry; I'm not one to look down on those of you daring enough to do this -- it's time to consider the rest of this week's lineup for our matchup against the Hawaiian Surfriders. (And at the end of this post, we'll have a link to help you deal with relatives today. Stay tuned.)
Quarterback. At the moment we have Kurt Warner as our starter. He reportedly expects to play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, despite last week's injury. If you're nervous enough to bench him, Matt Cassel can start in his place.
Running back. Our current starters are Steve Slaton, who missed practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury, and Chris "Beanie" Wells, who is asserting himself more and more each week. If we bench one of these runners, we'll start Matt Forte.
Flex. Greg Jennings is in this slot and should be carving up the Lions at about the time you're carving up your poultry.
Wide receiver. Our starting lineup has T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ochocinco, who hopefully won't fumble any boxing references (or footballs) this week. If either receiver is benched, Nate Washington will move into that spot.
Defense. At the moment, we have the Philadelphia Eagles ready to go against the Washington Redskins. If you would rather insert the San Francisco 49ers (who face the Jacksonville Jaguars), vote accordingly.
You already know about the kicker, and there is no change at tight end (Jeremy Shockey).
The new poll is up. Please vote.
Now a public service announcement from the People's Pigskin. If you're a fantasy football player who's visiting or hosting some non-fantasy players today, it's possible that you'll be asked the question, "What is this fantasy football everyone's talking about?" The likelihood of this skyrockets in one of the following scenarios.
1. You excuse yourself from a conversation about Uncle Henry's surgery to go to your computer and adjust your lineup.
2. You hear over your shoulder that your quarterback is out, and you immediately ask your host for permission to use his/her computer to fix your lineup.
If they ask about fantasy football while you're at the computer, you could try to fumble your way through an explanation yourself, or you could just click here for a quick video tutorial and thank the People's Pigskin later.
[polldaddy poll=2257311] [polldaddy poll=2292722]
We had two polls close last night. The first one was about whether Greg Jennings and/or Nick Folk should start for the People's Pigskin today or be benched. You voted to keep them both in the lineup, so they'll stay right there.
The second poll was about how much football you plan to watch this weekend. As the results (at the bottom of this post) show, you won't exactly be camped out at your local retailer all weekend.
While you're waiting for the turkey to roast -- or fry; I'm not one to look down on those of you daring enough to do this -- it's time to consider the rest of this week's lineup for our matchup against the Hawaiian Surfriders. (And at the end of this post, we'll have a link to help you deal with relatives today. Stay tuned.)
Quarterback. At the moment we have Kurt Warner as our starter. He reportedly expects to play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, despite last week's injury. If you're nervous enough to bench him, Matt Cassel can start in his place.
Running back. Our current starters are Steve Slaton, who missed practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury, and Chris "Beanie" Wells, who is asserting himself more and more each week. If we bench one of these runners, we'll start Matt Forte.
Flex. Greg Jennings is in this slot and should be carving up the Lions at about the time you're carving up your poultry.
Wide receiver. Our starting lineup has T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ochocinco, who hopefully won't fumble any boxing references (or footballs) this week. If either receiver is benched, Nate Washington will move into that spot.
Defense. At the moment, we have the Philadelphia Eagles ready to go against the Washington Redskins. If you would rather insert the San Francisco 49ers (who face the Jacksonville Jaguars), vote accordingly.
You already know about the kicker, and there is no change at tight end (Jeremy Shockey).
The new poll is up. Please vote.
Now a public service announcement from the People's Pigskin. If you're a fantasy football player who's visiting or hosting some non-fantasy players today, it's possible that you'll be asked the question, "What is this fantasy football everyone's talking about?" The likelihood of this skyrockets in one of the following scenarios.
1. You excuse yourself from a conversation about Uncle Henry's surgery to go to your computer and adjust your lineup.
2. You hear over your shoulder that your quarterback is out, and you immediately ask your host for permission to use his/her computer to fix your lineup.
If they ask about fantasy football while you're at the computer, you could try to fumble your way through an explanation yourself, or you could just click here for a quick video tutorial and thank the People's Pigskin later.
[polldaddy poll=2257311] [polldaddy poll=2292722]
Monday, November 23, 2009
The People's Win (and Plans for Thursday)
The People's Pigskin bounced back this week by defeating the Houston Wreckin' Crew by a score of 68-38. The Crew didn't get any favors from Michael Turner, who was ruled inactive for the Atlanta Falcons, but even with a typical Turner performance, you, the Internet, would have prevailed in this fantasy football contest. Here's the breakdown.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 15 of 19 passing, 203 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble and 14 fantasy points. The big news here, of course, is the injury Warner suffered shortly before halftime. He's saying that the injury wasn't serious, but it's well worth monitoring this week.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 14 rushes for 34 yards, 4 receptions for 20 yards, a 2-point conversion and 7 fantasy points. No member on the Chicago Bears covered himself in glory Sunday night, except perhaps for Robbie Gould.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 14 rushes for 74 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions for 11 yards and 14 fantasy points. Wells' campaign for Pleasant Fantasy Surprise of the Year continues and may even get a lift if Warner can't go Sunday.
Greg Jennings, Flex. The stats: 5 receptions, 126 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Whew. That's more like it.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 36 yards and 3 fantasy points. It seemed as if the Seattle Seahawks offense was swallowed whole by the Minnesota Vikings.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 67 yards and 6 fantasy points. Another high-powered offense fell flat against the Oakland Raiders. Can anyone figure that out?
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 2 receptions, 17 yards and 1 fantasy point. The New Orleans Saints spread the ball around in their thumping of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Can't decide whether they spread it too much or not enough.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 0 for 1 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 0 fantasy points. Ugh.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception, 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, 20 points allowed and 5 fantasy points. The Eagles late plays on defense and special teams saved their game and their fantasy value at the same time.
Bench. Matt Cassel scored 15 points, while Jamal Lewis scored 10. The 49ers defense/special teams had minus-2.
Now let's talk about Thanksgiving. The People's Pigskin has two players who will be working on that day: Greg Jennings, whose Green Bay Packers visit the Detroit Lions, and Nick Folk, whose Dallas Cowboys entertain the Oakland Raiders. A poll about whether to bench either (or both) of these players is now up and will close on Thanksgiving morning. If we bench Jennings, Nate Washington will be moved into the starting lineup, though there will be time to switch him for someone else by Sunday. If we bench Folk, a kicker will be picked up from the waiver wire.
Again, the poll is up. Please vote. We'll be back later with more football thoughts.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 15 of 19 passing, 203 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble and 14 fantasy points. The big news here, of course, is the injury Warner suffered shortly before halftime. He's saying that the injury wasn't serious, but it's well worth monitoring this week.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 14 rushes for 34 yards, 4 receptions for 20 yards, a 2-point conversion and 7 fantasy points. No member on the Chicago Bears covered himself in glory Sunday night, except perhaps for Robbie Gould.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 14 rushes for 74 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions for 11 yards and 14 fantasy points. Wells' campaign for Pleasant Fantasy Surprise of the Year continues and may even get a lift if Warner can't go Sunday.
Greg Jennings, Flex. The stats: 5 receptions, 126 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Whew. That's more like it.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 36 yards and 3 fantasy points. It seemed as if the Seattle Seahawks offense was swallowed whole by the Minnesota Vikings.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 67 yards and 6 fantasy points. Another high-powered offense fell flat against the Oakland Raiders. Can anyone figure that out?
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 2 receptions, 17 yards and 1 fantasy point. The New Orleans Saints spread the ball around in their thumping of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Can't decide whether they spread it too much or not enough.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 0 for 1 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 0 fantasy points. Ugh.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception, 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, 20 points allowed and 5 fantasy points. The Eagles late plays on defense and special teams saved their game and their fantasy value at the same time.
Bench. Matt Cassel scored 15 points, while Jamal Lewis scored 10. The 49ers defense/special teams had minus-2.
Now let's talk about Thanksgiving. The People's Pigskin has two players who will be working on that day: Greg Jennings, whose Green Bay Packers visit the Detroit Lions, and Nick Folk, whose Dallas Cowboys entertain the Oakland Raiders. A poll about whether to bench either (or both) of these players is now up and will close on Thanksgiving morning. If we bench Jennings, Nate Washington will be moved into the starting lineup, though there will be time to switch him for someone else by Sunday. If we bench Folk, a kicker will be picked up from the waiver wire.
Again, the poll is up. Please vote. We'll be back later with more football thoughts.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Behind the People's Loss
The People's Pigskin needed the Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams to come up small against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. They didn't, and as a result, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost by a score of 104-84 to Big Lough O, lowering the season record to 4-6. Here's the breakdown.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 29 of 38 passing, 340 yards, 2 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. Warner remains the straw that stirs the Arizona Cardinals. But as we'll see in a moment, he's getting some help.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 20 rushes for 41 yards, 8 receptions for 120 yards and 16 fantasy points. Lost in the tumult over Jay Cutler's performance was the fact that Forte put up solid numbers and did not turn the ball over.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 16 rushes for 85 yards, 2 receptions for 32 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 23 fantasy points. A tremendous call by you, the Internet, to put Wells in our starting lineup. He started the year as a backup, but now he's earning at least equal time in the backfield with Tim Hightower. And you have to love it when the guy you just put into the lineup is being called a "big weapon."
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 9 receptions, 165 yards and 16 fantasy points. T.J. continues to be a frequent target for the Seattle Seahawks, and his targets may rise even higher if Julius Jones misses significant time with his lung injury. (And to tell you the truth, "lung injury" is painful even to type.)
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 45 yards and 4 fantasy points. The Green Bay Packers say Jennings suffered a knee contusion in Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. He may miss practice time, but he's expected to be ready to play against the San Francisco 49ers.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 2 receptions, 29 yards and 2 fantasy points. Chad goes from facing the Pittsburgh Steelers to facing the Oakland Raiders. We'll have to hope his numbers benefit from the switch.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 3 receptions, 42 yards and 4 fantasy points. The New Orleans Saints flirted with disaster against the St. Louis Rams, and Shockey paid the price. Drew Brees threw two interceptions, and Shockey was the target both times.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 missed field goal, 1 extra point and 0 fantasy points. The Dallas Cowboys were shut down most of the day (scoring only a garbage time touchdown), so Folk got few opportunities.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 sacks, 31 points allowed and minus-2 fantasy points. The team that entered week 10 ranked second in fantasy points got pummeled by the San Diego Chargers. One factor was Philadelphia's inability to run, and that concern could be a permanent one if Brian Westbrook can't bounce back from his concussions.
Bench. Nate Washington scored 9 fantasy points. Jamal Lewis (who was benched in favor of Wells) scored 3. The San Francisco 49ers defense/special teams, who I thought would draw at least one trade offer during bye weeks, scored 17.
We'll be back tomorrow with our game plan for week 11.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 29 of 38 passing, 340 yards, 2 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. Warner remains the straw that stirs the Arizona Cardinals. But as we'll see in a moment, he's getting some help.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 20 rushes for 41 yards, 8 receptions for 120 yards and 16 fantasy points. Lost in the tumult over Jay Cutler's performance was the fact that Forte put up solid numbers and did not turn the ball over.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB. The stats: 16 rushes for 85 yards, 2 receptions for 32 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 23 fantasy points. A tremendous call by you, the Internet, to put Wells in our starting lineup. He started the year as a backup, but now he's earning at least equal time in the backfield with Tim Hightower. And you have to love it when the guy you just put into the lineup is being called a "big weapon."
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 9 receptions, 165 yards and 16 fantasy points. T.J. continues to be a frequent target for the Seattle Seahawks, and his targets may rise even higher if Julius Jones misses significant time with his lung injury. (And to tell you the truth, "lung injury" is painful even to type.)
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 45 yards and 4 fantasy points. The Green Bay Packers say Jennings suffered a knee contusion in Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. He may miss practice time, but he's expected to be ready to play against the San Francisco 49ers.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 2 receptions, 29 yards and 2 fantasy points. Chad goes from facing the Pittsburgh Steelers to facing the Oakland Raiders. We'll have to hope his numbers benefit from the switch.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 3 receptions, 42 yards and 4 fantasy points. The New Orleans Saints flirted with disaster against the St. Louis Rams, and Shockey paid the price. Drew Brees threw two interceptions, and Shockey was the target both times.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 missed field goal, 1 extra point and 0 fantasy points. The Dallas Cowboys were shut down most of the day (scoring only a garbage time touchdown), so Folk got few opportunities.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 sacks, 31 points allowed and minus-2 fantasy points. The team that entered week 10 ranked second in fantasy points got pummeled by the San Diego Chargers. One factor was Philadelphia's inability to run, and that concern could be a permanent one if Brian Westbrook can't bounce back from his concussions.
Bench. Nate Washington scored 9 fantasy points. Jamal Lewis (who was benched in favor of Wells) scored 3. The San Francisco 49ers defense/special teams, who I thought would draw at least one trade offer during bye weeks, scored 17.
We'll be back tomorrow with our game plan for week 11.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Looking Back (and Ahead)
Even though the Monday night game has yet to kick off, the People's Pigskin has racked up another loss. We currently trail the Northeast Dragons by a score of 93-83. The Dragons will start Brandon Marshall and the Steelers defense/special teams tonight, but unless Brandon has a few "Wrong Way" Marshall plays in him, the Pigskin's record will drop to 4-5.
Here's a breakdown of our results.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 22 of 32 passing, 261 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 rush for 3 yards, and 30 fantasy points. A week after his disastrous five-interception outing, Warner made mincemeat of the the Chicago Bears defense. If the rest of our fantasy football team played the way he did, we'd be talking about a resounding victory instead of a defeat.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 5 rushes for 33 yards, 6 receptions for 74 yards, and 10 fantasy points. For what it's worth, Forte is one of the few running backs who doesn't become irrelevant in fantasy football when his team gets behind, because he can do as much damage as a receiver as he does as a runner.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 6 rushes for 17 yards, 3 receptions for 12 yards, 1 touchdown, and 8 fantasy points. This week it was Ryan Moats' turn to fumble the ball for the Houston Texans. Slaton held the ball long enough to get it in the end zone -- always a plus for fantasy players.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 6 receptions, 34 yards, 1 touchdown, and 9 fantasy points. The Seattle Seahawks were able to beat the Detroit Lions, but no Seahawk covered himself in fantasy glory.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 61 yards, and 6 fantasy points. Jennings should have had a much bigger day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who got their first win of the season in spite of their ugly Popsicle-colored uniforms.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 fumble, and 4 fantasy points. It's never a good sign when the most memorable part of your starting receiver's day is his attempt to give an official a dollar in exchange for a replay call. (He may end up giving the NFL more than a dollar for that stunt.)
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 3 receptions, 26 yards, and 2 fantasy points. You would think Shockey would have gotten more involved in the New Orleans Saints come-from-behind win over the Carolina Panthers.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 2 for 2 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points, and 8 fantasy points. Folk made the most of his chances in a surprising Dallas Cowboys victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Speaking of which...
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception, 4 sacks, 20 points allowed, and 6 fantasy points. The Eagles did everything right except keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone.
Bench. Matt Cassel got 20 fantasy points in his debut on the People's Pigskin bench, while Derrick Ward earned 11.
Now, while we wait for the Monday night game, it's time to look ahead to another night: Thursday night. The NFL Network Thursday slate starts this week with the Chicago Bears taking on the San Francisco 49ers. That means we can't wait until Saturday night to make the call on whether Matt Forte should start. As a result, this week we'll have a special poll for Forte alone. This poll will close Wednesday night. Please vote.
We'll be back tomorrow with a more detailed look at next week's matchup.
Here's a breakdown of our results.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 22 of 32 passing, 261 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 rush for 3 yards, and 30 fantasy points. A week after his disastrous five-interception outing, Warner made mincemeat of the the Chicago Bears defense. If the rest of our fantasy football team played the way he did, we'd be talking about a resounding victory instead of a defeat.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 5 rushes for 33 yards, 6 receptions for 74 yards, and 10 fantasy points. For what it's worth, Forte is one of the few running backs who doesn't become irrelevant in fantasy football when his team gets behind, because he can do as much damage as a receiver as he does as a runner.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 6 rushes for 17 yards, 3 receptions for 12 yards, 1 touchdown, and 8 fantasy points. This week it was Ryan Moats' turn to fumble the ball for the Houston Texans. Slaton held the ball long enough to get it in the end zone -- always a plus for fantasy players.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Flex. The stats: 6 receptions, 34 yards, 1 touchdown, and 9 fantasy points. The Seattle Seahawks were able to beat the Detroit Lions, but no Seahawk covered himself in fantasy glory.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 61 yards, and 6 fantasy points. Jennings should have had a much bigger day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who got their first win of the season in spite of their ugly Popsicle-colored uniforms.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 fumble, and 4 fantasy points. It's never a good sign when the most memorable part of your starting receiver's day is his attempt to give an official a dollar in exchange for a replay call. (He may end up giving the NFL more than a dollar for that stunt.)
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 3 receptions, 26 yards, and 2 fantasy points. You would think Shockey would have gotten more involved in the New Orleans Saints come-from-behind win over the Carolina Panthers.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 2 for 2 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points, and 8 fantasy points. Folk made the most of his chances in a surprising Dallas Cowboys victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Speaking of which...
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception, 4 sacks, 20 points allowed, and 6 fantasy points. The Eagles did everything right except keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone.
Bench. Matt Cassel got 20 fantasy points in his debut on the People's Pigskin bench, while Derrick Ward earned 11.
Now, while we wait for the Monday night game, it's time to look ahead to another night: Thursday night. The NFL Network Thursday slate starts this week with the Chicago Bears taking on the San Francisco 49ers. That means we can't wait until Saturday night to make the call on whether Matt Forte should start. As a result, this week we'll have a special poll for Forte alone. This poll will close Wednesday night. Please vote.
We'll be back tomorrow with a more detailed look at next week's matchup.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Behind the Week 8 Loss
No two ways about it -- this one hurt.
Despite the best efforts of you, the Internet, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the fantasy football gods decided it wasn't enough. The People's Pigskin lost its rematch against Ravens Fan T Sizzle by a score of 74-72. Here's a breakdown of our team's performance.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 27 of 46 passing for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 1 rush for 8 yards, 1 fumble, and 5 fantasy points. His Arizona Cardinals suffered a horrible loss to the Carolina Panthers. It felt like a fluke, and we have to hope it was.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 26 rushes for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions for 31 yards, and 24 fantasy points. Now, that's the Matt Forte that was getting such high praise when everyone was having their drafts. It's too bad the Chicago Bears can't play the Cleveland Browns every week.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 1 rush for 1 yard, 2 receptions for 10 yards, 1 fumble, and minus-1 fantasy point. It's one thing if you lose a fantasy player to an injury. It's another thing when your fantasy starter is benched for a fumble while his team rolls to an easy victory.
If Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak is reading this, let me say something on behalf of fantasy football players everywhere. We know you're in no rush to name a starting running back, and we know you're looking out for your team, not ours. But if you feel compelled to punish a player, we'd prefer it if you fined him or made him run extra laps or forced him to watch Cougar Town or something.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, Flex. The stats: 8 rushes for 47 yards and 4 fantasy points. Wells' fantasy stats will depend on scoring touchdowns, and the Cardinals fell far enough behind to have to throw the rest of the game.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 8 receptions for 88 yards, 1 touchdown, and 14 fantasy points. It wasn't a happy homecoming as far as Green Bay Packers fans were concerned, but Jennings continued to show his value to his team and to fantasy football.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 4 receptions for 24 yards and 2 fantasy points. The Seattle Seahawks looked flat as a whole against the Dallas Cowboys.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 5 receptions for 72 yards and 7 fantasy points. Shockey almost led the comeback against the Sizzle, but it ended up falling short.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 2 on field goals, 5 for 5 on extra points, and 8 fantasy points. Steady production is the best one can expect from a kicker.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 17 points allowed, and 9 fantasy points. These stats look better when you consider that they were compiled against the New York Giants, a preseason Super Bowl contender.
Bench. Nate Washington put up 8 points, while Jamal Lewis put up 6.
At this point, the People's Pigskin's record is 4-4, and I just have to hope you, the Internet, won't fire me like George Kokinis.
We'll be back tomorrow with a preview of our next matchup. In the meantime, be sure to vote, both in our polls and at your local precincts.
Despite the best efforts of you, the Internet, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the fantasy football gods decided it wasn't enough. The People's Pigskin lost its rematch against Ravens Fan T Sizzle by a score of 74-72. Here's a breakdown of our team's performance.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 27 of 46 passing for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 1 rush for 8 yards, 1 fumble, and 5 fantasy points. His Arizona Cardinals suffered a horrible loss to the Carolina Panthers. It felt like a fluke, and we have to hope it was.
Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 26 rushes for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions for 31 yards, and 24 fantasy points. Now, that's the Matt Forte that was getting such high praise when everyone was having their drafts. It's too bad the Chicago Bears can't play the Cleveland Browns every week.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 1 rush for 1 yard, 2 receptions for 10 yards, 1 fumble, and minus-1 fantasy point. It's one thing if you lose a fantasy player to an injury. It's another thing when your fantasy starter is benched for a fumble while his team rolls to an easy victory.
If Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak is reading this, let me say something on behalf of fantasy football players everywhere. We know you're in no rush to name a starting running back, and we know you're looking out for your team, not ours. But if you feel compelled to punish a player, we'd prefer it if you fined him or made him run extra laps or forced him to watch Cougar Town or something.
Chris "Beanie" Wells, Flex. The stats: 8 rushes for 47 yards and 4 fantasy points. Wells' fantasy stats will depend on scoring touchdowns, and the Cardinals fell far enough behind to have to throw the rest of the game.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 8 receptions for 88 yards, 1 touchdown, and 14 fantasy points. It wasn't a happy homecoming as far as Green Bay Packers fans were concerned, but Jennings continued to show his value to his team and to fantasy football.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 4 receptions for 24 yards and 2 fantasy points. The Seattle Seahawks looked flat as a whole against the Dallas Cowboys.
Jeremy Shockey, TE. The stats: 5 receptions for 72 yards and 7 fantasy points. Shockey almost led the comeback against the Sizzle, but it ended up falling short.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 for 2 on field goals, 5 for 5 on extra points, and 8 fantasy points. Steady production is the best one can expect from a kicker.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 17 points allowed, and 9 fantasy points. These stats look better when you consider that they were compiled against the New York Giants, a preseason Super Bowl contender.
Bench. Nate Washington put up 8 points, while Jamal Lewis put up 6.
At this point, the People's Pigskin's record is 4-4, and I just have to hope you, the Internet, won't fire me like George Kokinis.
We'll be back tomorrow with a preview of our next matchup. In the meantime, be sure to vote, both in our polls and at your local precincts.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The People's Win (and the Next Step)
The People's Pigskin made all the right moves and chalked up a 103-100 win this week over the Southern Rebels. Here's a breakdown of how we did it.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 20 of 36 passing, 231 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and 11 fantasy points. His Arizona Cardinals did just enough to defeat the New York Giants. The primary credit goes to the defense: Eli Manning was picked off three times.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 18 carries for 67 yards, 4 receptions for 22 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble, and 18 fantasy points. His Houston Texans held off a rally by former No. 1 draft choice Alex Smith to beat the 49ers. Slaton continues to get his touches.
Donald Brown, RB. The stats: 2 carries, 58 yards, and 5 fantasy points. Brown left the game against the St. Louis Rams in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. He says the injury was no big deal, and there was no need for the Indianapolis Colts to risk any aggravation against the Rams. It's disappointing, but it seems like he'll be available next week.
Matt Forte, Flex. The stats: 6 carries for 24 yards, 4 receptions for 25 yards, and 4 fantasy points. The Chicago Bears found themselves in a gargantuan hole early against the Cincinnati Bengals. As a result, they had to abandon any hopes of a running game and throw deep. Fantasy football players, as usual, suffered the consequences.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 52 yards, and 5 fantasy points. The Green Bay Packers threw a lot of short routes against the Cleveland Browns. That was bad news for a deep threat like Jennings.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 10 receptions, 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 23 fantasy points. Now that's more like it. Carson Palmer found Ochocinco early and often against the Chicago Bears. Ochocinco has been nothing short of a fantasy football stud.
Chris Cooley, TE. The stats: 2 receptions, 21 yards, and 2 fantasy points. Both catches came on the Redskins opening drive. And it's a good thing Cooley caught them when he could, because his night ended early. (More on him later.)
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 3 for 3 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points, and 14 fantasy points. Welcome back to the fold, Folk. The Dallas Cowboys finally had a complete offensive day against the Atlanta Falcons, and the kicker always benefits from this.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception returned for a touchdown, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 sacks, 17 points allowed, and 21 fantasy points. They made us wait until the last minute, but the Eagles' dominance at the line against the Washington Redskins provided the winning margin.
Now, back to Cooley. He left the Monday night game with a broken ankle. His season may or may not be over, but we cannot afford to find out. We need to get another tight end who can play right away. That means it's time for another poll. Here are the nominees:
Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints. He has at least 3 fantasy points in every game he has played this season, and he currently ranks ninth among tight ends with 45.
Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos. Another player who has scored at least a point in every game he has played. After his team's bye last week, he ranks 18th among tight ends with 31 points.
Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a point in five of the six games he's played so far. After his team's bye last week, he ranks 19th among tight ends with 29 points.
The poll is up and will be available until Wednesday night. Please vote and/or comment. We'll be back next time with a more detailed look at our upcoming game.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 20 of 36 passing, 231 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and 11 fantasy points. His Arizona Cardinals did just enough to defeat the New York Giants. The primary credit goes to the defense: Eli Manning was picked off three times.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 18 carries for 67 yards, 4 receptions for 22 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble, and 18 fantasy points. His Houston Texans held off a rally by former No. 1 draft choice Alex Smith to beat the 49ers. Slaton continues to get his touches.
Donald Brown, RB. The stats: 2 carries, 58 yards, and 5 fantasy points. Brown left the game against the St. Louis Rams in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. He says the injury was no big deal, and there was no need for the Indianapolis Colts to risk any aggravation against the Rams. It's disappointing, but it seems like he'll be available next week.
Matt Forte, Flex. The stats: 6 carries for 24 yards, 4 receptions for 25 yards, and 4 fantasy points. The Chicago Bears found themselves in a gargantuan hole early against the Cincinnati Bengals. As a result, they had to abandon any hopes of a running game and throw deep. Fantasy football players, as usual, suffered the consequences.
Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 52 yards, and 5 fantasy points. The Green Bay Packers threw a lot of short routes against the Cleveland Browns. That was bad news for a deep threat like Jennings.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 10 receptions, 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 23 fantasy points. Now that's more like it. Carson Palmer found Ochocinco early and often against the Chicago Bears. Ochocinco has been nothing short of a fantasy football stud.
Chris Cooley, TE. The stats: 2 receptions, 21 yards, and 2 fantasy points. Both catches came on the Redskins opening drive. And it's a good thing Cooley caught them when he could, because his night ended early. (More on him later.)
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 3 for 3 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points, and 14 fantasy points. Welcome back to the fold, Folk. The Dallas Cowboys finally had a complete offensive day against the Atlanta Falcons, and the kicker always benefits from this.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 interception returned for a touchdown, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 sacks, 17 points allowed, and 21 fantasy points. They made us wait until the last minute, but the Eagles' dominance at the line against the Washington Redskins provided the winning margin.
Now, back to Cooley. He left the Monday night game with a broken ankle. His season may or may not be over, but we cannot afford to find out. We need to get another tight end who can play right away. That means it's time for another poll. Here are the nominees:
Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints. He has at least 3 fantasy points in every game he has played this season, and he currently ranks ninth among tight ends with 45.
Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos. Another player who has scored at least a point in every game he has played. After his team's bye last week, he ranks 18th among tight ends with 31 points.
Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a point in five of the six games he's played so far. After his team's bye last week, he ranks 19th among tight ends with 29 points.
The poll is up and will be available until Wednesday night. Please vote and/or comment. We'll be back next time with a more detailed look at our upcoming game.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Getting a Jump on Weekend Reading
First and foremost, thanks to those of you who voted on which kicker we should use this week. I've attached the results of that poll to the bottom of this post, but I'll spare you some suspense. The winner is Nick Folk (yes, the same Nick Folk who started the year on our roster). Looks like Ahman Green isn't the only person getting a second chance this season.
As you ponder how to vote in our other polls (on the righthand side of this page), here are a few links for your fantasy football viewing pleasure.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Ronnie Brown. Everyone is looking for a way to show their Halloween spirit. And, of course, the National Football League is looking for a creative way to get its hands on your revenue. The solution: officially licensed NFL pumpkin-carving kits. Why put a jagged smile on your Jack O'Lantern when you can put the Carolina Panthers logo on it instead?
(One warning: If any of your trick-or-treaters drafted Jake Delhomme, they may be tempted to do this.)
And we used to hike 10 miles in the snow to get our stats. The good folks at TC Sportsline offer an interesting post this week: "Fantasy Football: Are We Really Better Off?" It's basically a look at how fantasy football worked before the Internet made instant stat updates possible. The verdict: Technology has made fantasy football better:
"Putting aside the fact that its integrity is tested by misinformation, pied-pipers and their unfortunate sheep, and monotonous harmonizing of strategy on a catastrophic level, I think fantasy sports and those players who play the game how it was meant to be played are stronger and will prevail over the rest."
This is your brain online. Any questions? The next time Grandpa gets on your case about your love for fantasy football (or for the Web in general), point him to this article about a study showing one benefit of the Internet for newcomers: improved brain function. Says one of the authors:
"We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function."
I can only assume that this older American was not part of the study.
We'll be back tomorrow with a Landshark Maniacs preview. Here are the results of the kicker poll.
[polldaddy poll=2140621]
As you ponder how to vote in our other polls (on the righthand side of this page), here are a few links for your fantasy football viewing pleasure.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Ronnie Brown. Everyone is looking for a way to show their Halloween spirit. And, of course, the National Football League is looking for a creative way to get its hands on your revenue. The solution: officially licensed NFL pumpkin-carving kits. Why put a jagged smile on your Jack O'Lantern when you can put the Carolina Panthers logo on it instead?
(One warning: If any of your trick-or-treaters drafted Jake Delhomme, they may be tempted to do this.)
And we used to hike 10 miles in the snow to get our stats. The good folks at TC Sportsline offer an interesting post this week: "Fantasy Football: Are We Really Better Off?" It's basically a look at how fantasy football worked before the Internet made instant stat updates possible. The verdict: Technology has made fantasy football better:
"Putting aside the fact that its integrity is tested by misinformation, pied-pipers and their unfortunate sheep, and monotonous harmonizing of strategy on a catastrophic level, I think fantasy sports and those players who play the game how it was meant to be played are stronger and will prevail over the rest."
This is your brain online. Any questions? The next time Grandpa gets on your case about your love for fantasy football (or for the Web in general), point him to this article about a study showing one benefit of the Internet for newcomers: improved brain function. Says one of the authors:
"We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function."
I can only assume that this older American was not part of the study.
We'll be back tomorrow with a Landshark Maniacs preview. Here are the results of the kicker poll.
[polldaddy poll=2140621]
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday Afternoon Update (and a New Poll)
Premature congratulations are in order for Tinks Revenge, who will likely get that against the People's Pigskin this week. The Revenge currently enjoys a 103-70 lead over our team. In the Monday night matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos, the Revenge has Antonio Gates, while we have Matt Prater, our newly acquired kicker. To paraphrase the immortal Sydney Greenstreet in "Casablanca," it would take a miracle for the Pigskin to beat the Revenge, and the Landshark Maniacs have outlawed miracles.
Speaking of Matt Prater, his time with the People's Pigskin will have to be brief, since his team has a bye next week. Yes, that means that you, the Internet, will be picking a free agent kicker for the second straight week. Here are the nominees:
Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys. His team had a bye this week, but Folk has scored at least 5 fantasy points in every game this season. He's currently tied for 6th with 38 fantasy points for the season.
Jay Feely, New York Jets. A botched snap doomed his hope of kicking the winning field goal Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but Feely has scored at least 4 fantasy points every game this season. He's tied for 8th with 37.
Dan Carpenter, Miami Dolphins. His team had a bye this week, but the only time Carpenter has scored fewer than 7 fantasy points was the season opener, when he scored 1. He's in 9th place with 36.
Those are your choices. Again, the polls are now located on the right-hand side of this page. Be sure to vote by Wednesday night, when this poll will close.
By the way, if you haven't done so already, you should check out Malcolm Gladwell's piece in the New Yorker on brain trauma and football players. I don't think it will stop anyone from putting on pads in hopes of being someone's fantasy football star someday, but it is a sobering reminder of what's truly on the line during every game.
We'll be back tomorrow with a detailed look at our team's performance and what can be done about it.
Speaking of Matt Prater, his time with the People's Pigskin will have to be brief, since his team has a bye next week. Yes, that means that you, the Internet, will be picking a free agent kicker for the second straight week. Here are the nominees:
Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys. His team had a bye this week, but Folk has scored at least 5 fantasy points in every game this season. He's currently tied for 6th with 38 fantasy points for the season.
Jay Feely, New York Jets. A botched snap doomed his hope of kicking the winning field goal Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but Feely has scored at least 4 fantasy points every game this season. He's tied for 8th with 37.
Dan Carpenter, Miami Dolphins. His team had a bye this week, but the only time Carpenter has scored fewer than 7 fantasy points was the season opener, when he scored 1. He's in 9th place with 36.
Those are your choices. Again, the polls are now located on the right-hand side of this page. Be sure to vote by Wednesday night, when this poll will close.
By the way, if you haven't done so already, you should check out Malcolm Gladwell's piece in the New Yorker on brain trauma and football players. I don't think it will stop anyone from putting on pads in hopes of being someone's fantasy football star someday, but it is a sobering reminder of what's truly on the line during every game.
We'll be back tomorrow with a detailed look at our team's performance and what can be done about it.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Most Interchangeable Part
As any fantasy football player knows, there are 2 ironclad rules when it comes to kickers:
1. Don't take one until the final round of your draft. (That's the rule you'll read in every fantasy preview magazine, right before you see the magazine's experts break that rule in their mock draft.)
2. If your kicker has a bye week, or even a bad week, dump him and pick up a new one.
With that in mind, we have a second waiver wire poll to go with the Brandon Stokley and team devotion ones. It's time to say farewell to Nick Folk and pick up a new kicker. Here are the nominees.
Matt Prater, Denver Broncos. His team may wear ugly uniforms, but Prater is beautiful to fantasy owners. He ranks fourth among kickers with an average of 8.2 fantasy points a game.
Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions. His team can be as ugly as the Broncos uniforms at times, but Hanson is right behind Prater in production, ranking fifth with an average of 8 points a game.
Olindo Mare, Seattle Seahawks. T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn't the only Seahawk happy about Matt Hasselbeck's return from injury. Mare's 12 points this past Sunday leaves him sixth among kickers with an average of 7.6 points a game.
Those are the choices. This poll, like the Brandon Stokley one, will close Wednesday night. Thanks for voting.
[polldaddy poll=2115691]
1. Don't take one until the final round of your draft. (That's the rule you'll read in every fantasy preview magazine, right before you see the magazine's experts break that rule in their mock draft.)
2. If your kicker has a bye week, or even a bad week, dump him and pick up a new one.
With that in mind, we have a second waiver wire poll to go with the Brandon Stokley and team devotion ones. It's time to say farewell to Nick Folk and pick up a new kicker. Here are the nominees.
Matt Prater, Denver Broncos. His team may wear ugly uniforms, but Prater is beautiful to fantasy owners. He ranks fourth among kickers with an average of 8.2 fantasy points a game.
Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions. His team can be as ugly as the Broncos uniforms at times, but Hanson is right behind Prater in production, ranking fifth with an average of 8 points a game.
Olindo Mare, Seattle Seahawks. T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn't the only Seahawk happy about Matt Hasselbeck's return from injury. Mare's 12 points this past Sunday leaves him sixth among kickers with an average of 7.6 points a game.
Those are the choices. This poll, like the Brandon Stokley one, will close Wednesday night. Thanks for voting.
[polldaddy poll=2115691]
Monday, October 12, 2009
The People's Loss (and the Next Step)
Congratulations are in order for t-day jacks 151rum stumblrs, who defeated the People's Pigskin by a score of 77-76. Each team had two players put up zero points, so this one could easily have gone either way. Here's a breakdown of our team's letdown.
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 26 of 38 passing, 302 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 20 fantasy points. His team had to sweat a goal-line stand by its defense, but the Arizona Cardinals offense clearly goes through Warner.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 13 rushes for 39 yards, 6 receptions for 59 yards, and 8 fantasy points. One has to wonder what would have happened, for both the Houston Texans and the People's Pigskin, if Slaton had been on the field for that goal-line stand.
Donald Brown, RB. The stats: 6 rushes for 22 yards, 2 receptions for 13 yards, and 3 fantasy points. The Indianapolis Colts did go into preserve-the-lead-and-kill-the-clock-with-runs mode with Brown late in the game, but Brown still couldn't find holes in the Tennessee Titans defense.
Brandon Stokley, Flex. The stats: 0 receptions, 1 target, and 0 fantasy points. More on him later.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 77 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 19 fantasy points. Now, there's the T.J. we all know and love. Matt Hasslebeck's return to form was a godsend for fantasy players who did not give up on his receivers.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 7 receptions for 94 yards, 1 fumble, and 7 fantasy points. His Cincinnati Bengals rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens, but Ochocinco was kept out of the end zone.
Chris Cooley, TE. The stats: 0 catches, 0 targets, and 0 fantasy points. Cooley was held without a catch for the first time since 2004, when he was a rookie. Hopefully, this won't become a trend.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 2 for 3 on field goals, 2 extra points, and 7 fantasy points. Fantasy football players who started Folk may be the only people outside of Kansas City who were disappointed that Miles Austin scored in overtime to give the Dallas Cowboys a victory.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 3 interceptions, 1 safety, 14 points allowed, and 12 fantasy points. Yes, these numbers came against the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but as long as they keep coming (and as long as Donovan McNabb stays upright), we'll take them.
Bench. Jamal Lewis put up 11 points, and Trent Edwards put up 8.
Now, about Stokley, who was held without a fantasy points for the third straight week, it's time for him to go. (Yes, I'm being Mr. Obvious here.) That means it's time for you, the Internet, to vote on who should be picked up off the waiver wire. Here are the nominees.
Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans. He's averaging 7.5 fantasy points a game, and that average would have made the People's Pigskin 4-1 today instead of 3-2.
Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans. Yes, another Titan, but this one has at least a point in every game this season.
Kelley Washington, Baltimore Ravens. His team is becoming a passing one as much as a running one, so Washington has as good a chance as anyone to get scores on any given week.
Earl Bennett, Chicago Bears. This receiver, whose team had a bye this week, has at least 2 fantasy points in every game this season.
Bobby Wade, Kansas City Chiefs. He has 2 touchdowns to his name so far this season, and this team seems ready to beat somebody.
Those are the nominees. Here is the poll. It will stay open until Wednesday. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=2109615]
Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 26 of 38 passing, 302 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 20 fantasy points. His team had to sweat a goal-line stand by its defense, but the Arizona Cardinals offense clearly goes through Warner.
Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 13 rushes for 39 yards, 6 receptions for 59 yards, and 8 fantasy points. One has to wonder what would have happened, for both the Houston Texans and the People's Pigskin, if Slaton had been on the field for that goal-line stand.
Donald Brown, RB. The stats: 6 rushes for 22 yards, 2 receptions for 13 yards, and 3 fantasy points. The Indianapolis Colts did go into preserve-the-lead-and-kill-the-clock-with-runs mode with Brown late in the game, but Brown still couldn't find holes in the Tennessee Titans defense.
Brandon Stokley, Flex. The stats: 0 receptions, 1 target, and 0 fantasy points. More on him later.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 77 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 19 fantasy points. Now, there's the T.J. we all know and love. Matt Hasslebeck's return to form was a godsend for fantasy players who did not give up on his receivers.
Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 7 receptions for 94 yards, 1 fumble, and 7 fantasy points. His Cincinnati Bengals rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens, but Ochocinco was kept out of the end zone.
Chris Cooley, TE. The stats: 0 catches, 0 targets, and 0 fantasy points. Cooley was held without a catch for the first time since 2004, when he was a rookie. Hopefully, this won't become a trend.
Nick Folk, K. The stats: 2 for 3 on field goals, 2 extra points, and 7 fantasy points. Fantasy football players who started Folk may be the only people outside of Kansas City who were disappointed that Miles Austin scored in overtime to give the Dallas Cowboys a victory.
Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 3 interceptions, 1 safety, 14 points allowed, and 12 fantasy points. Yes, these numbers came against the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but as long as they keep coming (and as long as Donovan McNabb stays upright), we'll take them.
Bench. Jamal Lewis put up 11 points, and Trent Edwards put up 8.
Now, about Stokley, who was held without a fantasy points for the third straight week, it's time for him to go. (Yes, I'm being Mr. Obvious here.) That means it's time for you, the Internet, to vote on who should be picked up off the waiver wire. Here are the nominees.
Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans. He's averaging 7.5 fantasy points a game, and that average would have made the People's Pigskin 4-1 today instead of 3-2.
Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans. Yes, another Titan, but this one has at least a point in every game this season.
Kelley Washington, Baltimore Ravens. His team is becoming a passing one as much as a running one, so Washington has as good a chance as anyone to get scores on any given week.
Earl Bennett, Chicago Bears. This receiver, whose team had a bye this week, has at least 2 fantasy points in every game this season.
Bobby Wade, Kansas City Chiefs. He has 2 touchdowns to his name so far this season, and this team seems ready to beat somebody.
Those are the nominees. Here is the poll. It will stay open until Wednesday. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=2109615]
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