The Source

Extremely busy week, so going to keep this short.  One of the comments from last week inspired me to create a poll.  I’m going to leave it live for a couple of weeks so everybody has a chance to vote.  I was very surprised when I heard that the decision to sit a quarterback on Monday night was on purpose to avoid the slim chance of that quarterback having such a horrible night that they would lose enough points to lose the game.  I’ve always viewed the head-to-head matchups as kind of secondary honestly, having always felt that overall points is actually the true measure of what team is best.  I suppose that a playoff situation where you are ahead by a couple of points, the other team is finished and you have one guy going Monday night that it might make sense to set that player to make sure he doesn’t lose points and you can advance in the playoffs.  But, it would never occur to me to not star a quarterback, or any player really, in the middle of a season on the off chance that you will lose half-dozen points and lose a game, when it’s much more likely you’re just going to miss out on the 10 plus points.  But, if your main focus is just winning the head to head matchups, it makes sense.

 

My secondary starters from last week were Donald Brown and Steve Smith ( Carolina edition).  Donald looked like he might be in for a big day, getting nearly 60 yd. on just 2 carries, but then he was injured, so that turns into a bad call.  Steve Smith wound up with nearly 100 yd. receiving, but no touchdowns, so that’s going to be a push.  Philadelphia should have crushed Washington on Monday night, but they really did not look all that impressive except for the two big plays from Jackson.  McNabb didn’t actually throw up, but he only managed one touchdown and barely 150 yd., so that’s a good call.  Overall, the record is 5-7-4.

 

For my secondary starters, going to go with two players from the same game.  Kevin Smith should do well for Detroit against St. Louis while Donnie Avery has a pretty decent shot to score against Detroit.  For my starter who I think might struggle, going to stick with quarterbacks and this week I think Aaron Rodgers might put a little too much pressure on himself in the big “return to Green Bay” game

 

Onto the power rankings! 

 

 

 

1.      MM of M (1) – Palmer, Benson and the Eagles defense combined for over 90 points and dispel any concerns over the Monkeys holding onto first place.  They seem to be past the toughest part of their season scheduling wise, and while any team can fall apart any given week, it seems that this team is secured at the number one spot for the foreseeable future

 

2.      Mopar’s Marauders (2) - they score over 100 points yet again, but not only is it not enough to move into the number one spot, it’s just barely enough to hang onto number two as EVERYBODY in the top five scored over 100 this week.  It’s starting to appear that the very top of the power rankings is going to be a bloody battle where only the most powerful survive

 

3.      Dreaded Mercenaries (3) – they lose their third straight game, even though Barber let them down a little bit this week, they still managed to score over 100 points and hold onto the number three spot.  However, there are a number of teams immediately behind them who are now making legitimate pushes to either regain a spot in the top three or get there for the first time.

 

4.      Amateur Pharmacists (4) – did I say the top five was going to be tough?  The Pharmacists score 118 points and LOSE.  Still, they’ve been consistent in the past several weeks and are as ready as the next team to jump into the number one spot if the Monkeys slipup

 

5.      Team Eagles (5) – they get back on track, scoring more points than anybody this week, but you have to be able to do that consistently in order to move up the charts.  Also, it wasn’t just the fact of how many points they scored, it’s how the points were scored.  Very evenly spread out over the entirety of the roster, with the exception of tight end.  This coming week will be very interesting to see what happens to the top five

 

6.      Evil Midnight Bombers (7) – they score 97 points and move-up one spot, but it was nowhere near enough to get back into the top five.  If Forte and Portis were performing as was expected at the start of the year, this team might still be ranked number one overall.  But, as it is, they’ve got mostly question marks at the running back position

 

7.      The Bloodsuckers (6) – only 46 points, 27 of those from Big Brother Manning.  They’re running backs have scored a total of two points in the last two weeks combined.  McNabb did not have a breakout game on Monday night, so I’m not even sure what level of running back that would be able to get in a trade for him any longer.  Still, anybody has to be better than what they have

 

 

8.      Mr. Al Davis (11) – 97 points, and a pretty decent job of spreading the amount evenly over the roster.  They climb into the top 10 and I for one would not look forward to playing this team and the Lord of Darkness which leads them

 

9.      Farva’s Shovelheads (8) – they have not really made many moves upward in the power rankings this season, and the descent has been pretty slow.  I think if you have to try and identify one reason, it has to be the absolute disappearance of Greg Jennings.  Only 52 points this week, and the team is on the verge of dropping out the top 10 for the first time this season

 

10.  Damages (9)  – the running back news keeps on getting worse for Damages.  Willie Parker is no longer the man in Pittsburgh and now Leon Washington breaks his leg.  They slide down one spot to number 10, but they may have a difficult time not dropping out this coming week

 

11.  Legion of Doom (12) – scoring has been coming around, 90 points isn’t bad but not enough for the victory this week.  The Donald Brown injury is somewhat bothersome, but it looks like Beanie might be taking over the starting job fairly soon in Arizona, so that would be good.  Bottom-line though, I was unable to beat OffInTheShower this week, which always leaves a guy frustrated.

 

12.  OffInThe Shower (14) –  Vernon Davis comes up big this week and gives the victory to his team, well, fantasy team anyway.  They get out of the bottom quarter of the league and are right on the dorsum of the top 10.  The quarterback position has been the flaw on this team all season, they can work something out and upgrade, they would be much more consistent

 

13.  Heavenly Rampagers (10) – they slide down three spots, but it is more a result of walking a slippery slope.  The teams immediately around them have all been performing fairly consistently, and Brady has been the only guy to really break out for this team so far. I’m not sure why they are still holding on to Joey Galloway, there has to be a better receiver out there somewhere

 

14.  Gaul Village Asterix (15) – they move up another spot even though they lose their game and only manage 58 points.  Still, the ownership of this team is active, and I personally appreciate that more than anything.  Sometimes it’s not easy to stick with your team when they are not scoring as you had hoped.  I’m pulling for this team to make the playoffs, as long as it is not at my own expense!

 

15.  Team Falk (13) – they don’t start any defense, only score 56 points, but still managed to win their game.  Still, there’s no legitimate reason somebody would want to hold onto the Tennessee defense this season, other than some sort of misguided fanship.  Even that would be hard to justify.  The combination of lack of any real scoring power on the roster and an apparent lack of commitment from the ownership has pushed this team into the next to last spot

 

16.  Team S (16) – another week, another loss.  Seems like a waste for AP

 

One more week in the books and it’s about time to start looking towards the fantasy playoffs.  It will get serious in just a couple of weeks when we’re past all of the byes

 

 

Going to jump right into some of my predictions from last week as what I want to talk about relates to one of the predictions I made.

 

Last week I thought things might be looking up, this week not so much.  Willie Parker is officially no longer the number one running back in Pittsburgh, that was a bad call.  Larry Johnson had some decent yards, but no touchdown so going with another bad call.  Ryan Grant also did not get a touchdown, but I think his performance was good enough to be considered a push.  And then Philip Rivers, only one touchdown and under 300 yd., that was a good call.  Overall record is 5-7-3.  I will get to my predictions for this coming week in a moment, but first I want to talk about how personal feelings can affect your drafting/managing strategy.

 

I think it’s pretty clear that there are some players in the NFL than I just don’t like.  In some cases, it’s a natural result of a rivalry with my Pittsburgh Steelers.  Take for example, any Baltimore Ravens.  I don’t know if it’s the influence of Ray Lewis, who I believe is a good linebacker and is also amazingly overrated, or the fact that we play them at least two times every season and they like to try and play football the same way the Steelers always have, with hard-hitting defense.  But every time I hear the Baltimore Raven talk, I inevitably come away disliking them even more.  Whether it’s the proclamations of “our dynasty starts tonight!”  which Ray Lewis and every other Raven repeated over and over again to the media in the week leading up to their first game with the Steelers last season (before losing to them three times the rest of the year) or the seemingly inexplicable comparisons that the media like to make between Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger, every time I hear something about the Baltimore Ravens it always seems to be something I disagree with.  As a result, I despised drafting any Baltimore Ravens player on any of my fantasy teams.  I remember just this past draft breathing a sigh of relief when the team just before me drafted Willis McGahee because he was still on the board, obviously the best player and I did NOT want to be forced into position where I felt I had to draft him.  But, if you’re a diehard fan of an NFL team (defined as: if you have to choose between your fantasy team succeeding or your NFL team succeeding, you will choose your NFL team) then this is perfectly logical to you

 

However, in many cases, it doesn’t have anything at all to do with whether they perform well or not or how often they play Pittsburgh, there’s just something about certain players that rubs me the wrong way.  Take for example Philip Rivers.  As I’ve said before, I understand people liking him as a fantasy player.  He usually puts up good numbers, even in losing efforts.  But, there’s just something about the guy that I don’t like, to the point that I’ve never drafted him onto any of my teams.  I really don’t like players who cry and complain any time they lose, and I know, this is becoming a larger and larger group in the NFL.

 

What made me start thinking about this was watching an interview with Philip Rivers prior to the Monday night football game this past week.  Of course, leading up to the game the analysts of ESPN could not come up with enough words to describe how marvelous Philip Rivers is or how devastating the San Diego offense can be.  At least one analyst made it clear that after Big Brother Manning and Tom Brady, Philip Rivers is obviously the third-best NFL quarterback in the league.  “Better than Drew Brees?” another one asked.  “Yes, I believe so” was the response, which was followed by a long string of supposedly convincing statistics, all designed to show the greatness of Philip Rivers.  Then, during the actual interview, Philip had the following to say “I hate to lose more than I want to win”.  It was at that point that I was able to recognize that it wasn’t anything Philip Rivers did on the field that made me dislike him so much.  It was a general, basic makeup of his character. 

 

I have no idea about the personal life of Philip Rivers outside of football.  Is he extremely active in the community?  Does he give loads of cash/time to charities?  Does he love puppy dogs and bunnies?  I have no idea.  But, the simple statement of “I hate to lose more than I want to win” makes me think the answers are no, no and only if its good for picking up girls.  Maybe I’m wrong and he’s a great guy, I just have a feeling that we would see very basic things in vastly different ways.  Regardless, with that kind of mentality, I am now more certain than ever that Philip Rivers will consistently choke in any big-time game/national televised game and will certainly never win a championship in the NFL.

 

So, I feel like that was very cathartic.  Let’s see if it helps me in my predictions this week.  But going with Donald Brown as a great second running back option this week.  Also, Steve Smith (Carolina edition) has really been struggling this season, but he spoke out about how he feels he is no longer useful to the Carolina offense.  Normally when a receiver does something like that, he winds up in the end zone the following week, so I expect him to have his best game so far this season.

 

For players that are usually guaranteed starters that I expect to struggle, it’s a tough week.  There’s a lot of lopsided matchups, so I’m going to fall back to my old failsafe choice.  Take a quarterback that everybody thinks is great but I believe always chokes under pressure.  This week, going to go with the old Super Bowl Puker himself, Donovan McNabb.  Most people expect Philadelphia to refocus after that dismal performance against Oakland last week, I expect the bright lights of Monday night football to once again the better of Donovan against a team that they should demolish

 

 

Onto the power rankings! 

 

 

 

1.      MM of M (1) – they lose their first game of the season (you’re welcome everybody) but hold on to the number one spot..  They have one of their worst weeks so far, but they had three significant performers either on their off the week or injured.  Overall, it would seem that they still have the best roster from top to bottom, but that can change on any given week and there is a team directly behind them pressing for the number one spot

 

2.      Mopar’s Marauders (3) – the meteoric rise of the Marauders continues.  If the monkeys had not been so successful earlier this season, the Marauders probably would have jumped up to the number one spot this week.  But, that’s not the way the power rankings work.  Still, it seems that no matter whom this team starts, they get points.  We’ll see what next week brings, but right now it looks like going to be very hard keeping the Marauders out of the top spot

 

3.      Dreaded Mercenaries (2) – I thought this might be a difficult week for the Mercenaries with Dallas being off, and that proved to be true.  They only manage 62 points and lose their game.  You know it’s a bad week when the score for your starting quarterback is negative four.  They only slide down one more spot, but if Dallas continues to struggle, this team may be on its way out of the top five

 

4.      Amateur Pharmacists (7) – they keep on scoring and shoot into the top five.  Right now, the Amateur Pharmacists are indeed firing on all cylinders and might be the most dangerous team in the league at this moment.  They  really don’t have an obvious weak spot and there’s no reason this team won’t be challenging for the top spot in the next couple of weeks

 

5.      Team Eagles (5) – they hold steady at number five.  The return to form of golden boy Drew had to be a welcome sight, but the absolute disappearance of Willis in Baltimore, and really the disappearance of all the running backs for this team kind of balances out that return.  If Anquan could stay healthy (anybody else find it suspicious the range of injuries he has had this season after making it clear how happy he was with his contract?)  then this team might be able to overcome the difficulties they are having at running back.  The golden boy is keeping them competitive, but will that be enough in the long run?

 

6.      The Bloodsuckers (6) – they get a bazillion points out of their wide receivers and zero, as in absolute zero, out of the running backs and it costs them the game.  They’re just has to be a trade out there for this team, but depending upon what happened this coming Monday night, they may have waited too long.  If McNabb doesn’t bounce back, then there are going to start to be questions about Philadelphia.  And if that happens, McNabb loses a lot of trading power.  This team is a decent running back away from challenging for the top spot

 

7.      Evil Midnight Bombers (4) – did the Bombers really not start a player at quarterback last week?  Or was that just some sort of software issue?  Either way, they dropped out of the top five for the first time and the team that I once had solidly in the number one spot is now struggling to stay in the top half

 

 

8.      Farva’s Shovelheads (8) – they hold steady at number eight, but Greg Jennings is killing these guys.  I mean, against Detroit, your quarterback has a big day, and none of them go to the guy you had pegged as the number one receiver.  They showed that they can still score points, but they have lost five in a row now and it seems like there may be too many questions surrounding this team for them to get into the top five

 

9.      Damages (9)  – yet another team that holds steady from last week.  The apparent end of the Willie Parker era in Pittsburgh is a huge concern for Damages.  In this point, this team barely has a legitimate number two running back, let alone a real starter.  If they can find a trade partner and get a decent running back, they can definitely move into the top half.  As it is, they may struggle to hang on to the top 10

 

10.  Heavenly Rampagers (10) – a big victory this week and Brady absolutely explodes, but even Tom can store you 51 points every week.  When one player scores more than half of the points on your team, regardless of how many points you scored overall, it’s not a good sign for the long-term successfulness of your team.  Still, Brady shows you can still score and if the rest of the team picks it up, then this team might make a push for the top half

 

11.  Mr. Al Davis (13) – another point explosion, and another week where the majority of their points come from two players.  But, it’s two completely different players than it was the week before.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a fantasy team have such a lopsided number of points scored by such a small percentage of their roster two weeks in a row and not be at least one of the same players.  It doesn’t seem to be like the sort of thing can continue, but there’s no way I can stop from moving them up a couple of spots.  They still have no quarterback, but if somebody new keeps stepping up, but I will just have to assume that Mr. Al Davis is using his psychic vampire powers and rank them accordingly

 

12.  Legion of Doom (11) – what the…?  We score over 100 points, win another game, and knock off the undefeated, number one ranked team and we drop a spot?!  Who does these rankings anyway???  Still, things are looking up a little bit, but with the performance of everybody around my team, the only logical move was dropping down one spot

 

13.  Team Falk (12) – they once again scored decent points and this time start a complete lineup!  Unfortunately, they still lose their game and dropped one spot in the rankings.  It’s good to see that they are still fighting, it’s just going to be difficult for this team seeing that they have to deal with the underperformance of both Tomlinson and Roy Williams this season.

 

14.  OffInThe Shower (14) –  they lose a game, to the team directly behind them, but they hang onto number 14.  They desperately need a quarterback if they are going to make any kind of legitimate run.  Brandon Jacobs has to find the end zone again eventually, so overall I still think this team probably has the strongest roster of the bottom three teams, but they need a little bit of help to really make a move

 

15.  Gaul Village Asterix (15) – they get back on the winning track, but I still don’t think they have enough talent on their roster to make any major news of the power rankings or as far as overall points.  However, they have shown the ability to win games head-to-head, so as long as they remain active this team has a solid shot at the playoffs

 

16.  Team S (16) – MISSING PERSON ALERT!  They have a complete starting lineup this week, but it is the exact same lineup as last week.  There’s really no way to tell, but at least up to this point it hasn’t made any difference since they haven’t won a game yet

 

And there we have it, another exciting week of football.  It’s hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the regular season of the NFL already.

 

 

There was a very interesting comment from the owner of the Mercenaries following last week’s blog that I wanted to talk about a little bit.  The gist of it was that while she had a feeling about starting one of her backup players, she was convinced by the owner of the Monkeys that you “have to go with your main guys”.  The result was that if she had started the backup, she would have won her game.  This type of situation may be the single most reason fantasy football can be as much fun, or as horribly agonizing, as it is.

Let me start out by saying in this type of situation, I am 100% behind the Monkeys theory.  Anybody who is new to fantasy football, one of the first things I tell them is you have to trust your draft.  It’s really basic, and yes, things and circumstances do change throughout the season, but at the bottom line, you drafted that guy number one and that other guy in the second round and then this other guy in the third round for a reason.  Sure, there will be unexpected injuries that force you to make a change, there will be changes in coaching or team personnel that adversely affect one of your players.  But, 99% of the time, when you can’t make up your mind which player is the best to start in a particular position, it’s the guy you drafted higher, the guy you initially drafted with every intention of being your main guy.

Ah, yes, but that tantalizing 1%.  The gut feeling.  If the whole of fantasy football consisted of drafting a specific team and then starting that exactly every week it would be outstandingly boring.  That 1% of the time when your gut says “I just think Big Brother Manning is going to struggle this week and I should start Matt Ryan instead” and Matt Ryan tosses three touchdowns while Big brother only gets one, that is a nearly euphoric sensation.

Now keep in mind, 99% of the time it’s going to be completely the opposite.  You will study all of the statistics, you will know how bad of a defense St. Louis has.  You’ll see that they are playing against Seattle, Julius Jones is bound to have a huge game!  At the same time, you studied all available information about the San Francisco opponents and see that they are playing the New York Jets.  The Jets, with their nearly impenetrable defense are almost certainly going to significantly slow down, if not completely shut out, Frank Gore.  You convince yourself that this is the smart move and by Monday morning everybody will be talking about you as the most ingenious fantasy football owner that they have ever seen.  And, you remain convinced of this right up until Frank Gore has two touchdowns at halftime and Julia Jones is busting out with 27 yd. on 13 carries.

And the logic versus gut dilemma can reach even further.  It can affect your draft or the makeup of your roster through trades and free agency.  Three years ago Tom Brady was considered a fantastic NFL quarterback, but was really only viewed as a second level option as far as fantasy quarterback.  Randy Moss was viewed as being completely washed up.  But, the two of them found themselves together in New England.  There was no guarantee they were going to break every offensive record in the book.  Some people looked at the statistics and said, big deal, Moss is a slacker and Brady plays in too conservative of an offense.  Some people just had the feeling things were going to click.  People who followed that instinct were exceptionally happy.

Last season there was a pretty popular belief that Adrian Peterson was going to suffer from a “sophomore slump”.  There were even some fantasy football magazine’s that suggested it would be a better idea to take the aging Tomlinson higher than AP.  The only reason for this would have to be a gut feeling by the person writing it.  Of course, people who followed that instinct were exceptionally sad.

But, here is the rub: even though you are only going to be ecstatic with your decision of following your gut 1% of the time, it’s that 1% that separates the successful owner from the cellar dwellers..  If your gut tells you that the early-season struggles of Michael Turner is an indication of the entire season so you had best trade him while you still can, and you are right, you’re going to be competing in your league.  However, if it turns out you are wrong and the Burner pours it on in the second half, you’re going to kick yourself for not believing in your guy and giving up on him too early.

If there was some kind of secret formula, some kind of mathematical equation you could use to decide when it was the 1% time to listen to your instincts, I would tell you.  Actually, no, that’s a lie.  I wouldn’t tell you.  I would keep it to myself and use it to dominate every league I am in.  As I am clearly not dominating this league, you can safely assume that no such formula exists.

And so, we all keep trying to figure out some way to know which cup of tea the Iocane powder is in, always hoping that we’re not facing an opponent who has spent the past several years building up an immunity to Iocane powder.

Looking back at last week, things may be picking up, or else I am just no longer trying to fight with my left hand. Braylon Edwards came through in the primetime lights with a huge game, so definitely a good call.  I was on the fence about Chad Ochocinco.  He put up over 90 yd., but didn’t get into the end zone.  Then I heard that even though Cincinnati is 4-1, they were unable to sell out there home games this coming weekend and were going to get blacked out in the local area.  That is until Chad purchased the remaining 1200 tickets, along with one of the sponsors Motorola, and will be giving those tickets away to make sure the game is not blacked out.  That’s classy.  So I’m going with two good calls.  I also went with Brady, and he had an OK game once again, not terrible, not fantastic, so going to go with a push bringing my overall season record up to 4-5-1.

This week going to try out the running backs once again.  Ryan Grant is really no longer considered a number one running back in most scoring formats, but I look for him to have a good day at home against Detroit.  On the second one, I was torn, so actually going to go with three this week.  If anybody has the motivation to get back and have a big day it is Willie Parker, I think he gets a chance against Cleveland.  Also, something is telling me Larry Johnson gets a touchdown and some decent yards against Washington.  As my guaranteed starter, going back to Monday night as I think Philip Rivers once again struggles in a big game under the bright lights

Onto the power rankings, with some significant fluctuations this week!



1.    MM of M (1) – here is what is impressive about these worshipers of Curious George, they score 97 points this past week with Frank Gore appropriately on the bench and getting zero points from their kicker.  They are still unbeaten and are ever so slightly trying to separate themselves from the pack in overall points, but as far as the power rankings go they are clearly number one

2.    Dreaded Mercenaries (4) – they move up into the number two spot, but it’s not a solid hold.  They have said that the Cowboys are not going to remain as prevalent on their roster, but how many good options are they going to have?  There are some fast risers in the rankings right now, so the Mercenaries might be in trouble this coming week with Dallas on the bye

3.    Mopar’s Marauders (8) – it was time for an adjustment in the rankings and the Marauders benefit by jumping five ranks!  This team is showing that they are more than just Chris Johnson as they score 118 points even though Johnson only got three.  Now, Miles Austin is not going to score you 37 points every week, but this team has been scoring high points fairly consistently.  The next couple of weeks will show if this jump of five spots is an over adjustment, or if the Marauders really are a top three team

4.    Evil Midnight Bombers (3) – the Bombers get past their toughest week bye wise with a victory by the skin of their teeth, thanks in large part to the apparent complete disinterest of their opponents.  They only score 64, but go down just one spot as most of their top-level players were off.  Still, the Bombers roster is not looking as formable as it once was.  They are still securely in the top five and I expect them to return to form next week

5.    Team Eagles (2) – there has to be some concern for the owner of Team Eagles.  I would imagine that they are praying that Brees returns to dominance following his off week.  They’re running backs totally disappeared last week and much of their success in the early part of the season was because of Willis McGahee.  If he pulls a disappearing stunt, which he has done before in the past, then they may find it difficulty to reclaim their spot at number one


6.    The Bloodsuckers (5) – they lose their game and drop-down one spot.  This is one of two teams in the league that I think should pay special attention to the article Mark wrote on the ESPN site.  They’ve got two top-level quarterbacks and no serious number one running back.  There are a couple of teams with serious question marks at quarterback in this league, you can’t start Big Brother Manning and McNabb in the same week, and you desperately need a running back.  There should be a blockbuster trade available if this team puts out some feelers

7.    Amateur Pharmacists (9) – they climb a couple of spots up to number seven.  With Michael Turner starting to produce and Schaub seemingly for real this season, they have the potential to beat any team.  The fact that they’ve been doing so well with such little production from Ryan Grant is really a surprise to me.  This team can certainly break into the top five if they start firing on all cylinders

8.    Farva’s Shovelheads (6) – they had their bye week this week, and by that I mean Green Bay was off.  They only managed 46 points and drop a couple of spots.  But, they are still in the top half of the league and thankfully for them Green Bay only has one off week season.  Still, there are lots of concerns at both wide receiver and running back and there are a number of teams in the bottom half of the league looking to move up

9.    Damages (10)  – they lose a hard fought game against the Monkeys, but they move up one spot in the rankings.  There’s a lot of questions about the running backs on this team but I am now convinced their best move might be to open trade talks with a team looking for a quarterback.  Damages have two quarterbacks, both of which are performing fairly well.  The quality of running back they are going to be able to pickup through free agency is rather limited at this time, but a good trade could land a solid back which is exactly what this team really needs

10.    Heavenly Rampagers (11) – does Ronnie Brown read this blog??  Ever since I said he was a great number two running back, he has been a monster in Miami!  This team moves into the top 10 on the strength of their running backs.  There are major concerns at wide receiver (it’s time to cut Galloway), but if Brady can at all begin resembling his 2007 incarnation, then anything would be possible for this team

11.    Legion of Doom (12) – my team creeps a little closer to the top 10.  Not much has changed here, there are some signs that at least one of the rookie running backs might be able to consistently performe this season.  If that happens, I predict a Solomon Grundy like rampage through the power rankings.  If it doesn’t, I predict a Solomon Grundy like report card.

12.    Team Falk (13) – they score decent points and win their game, but this is the third week in a row where they start a player who is not playing.  There’s a chance that this was a conscious decision and they just didn’t want to lose any of their other players in this situation.  But three weeks in a row is somewhat disturbing.  I have a feeling that they have NOT abandoned their team as they did set Williams who was injured, but it would be nice to see them start a complete roster at some point again

13.    Mr. Al Davis (15) – 116 points and they only move up one spot?  Well, here’s why: a staggering 54 of those 116 points came from  Roddy White and Austin Collie, which is not going to happen regularly, perhaps not again this season.  On top of that, they missed out on 32 points by starting the wrong quarterback.  Jacksonville was traveling across the country, which is hard enough for top level quarterbacks to handle, David Garrard has had a couple of good games, but is far from a top-level quarterback.  I imagine Mr. Al Davis was sick to the stomach watching his two quarterbacks play each other and knowing he started the wrong one

14.    OffInThe Shower (14) –  they win another game and hold steady at number 14, but it seems like the bottom half of the power rankings are, for the most part, showing that there may not be that much separation between number 5 and number 14.  I’m not sure they have the quarterbacks necessary to make a serious run, but Marshall and Steve Smith (New York Giants edition) make for a serious 1-2 punch out of the wide receiver position.  Word out of Houston is that they are committed to the running game, which should be good news for Slaton.  If these guys can find a legitimate quarterback, there are some real possibilities here

15.    Gaul Village Asterix (16) – they lose their second game in a row but move out of the basement based on the simple fact that they are still competing.  They are making moves trying to get as many points as possible each week, their players just are not making it easy for them.  However, they are still 3-2 and easily in the playoff chase.  I believe overall points and top 10 of the power rankings are unlikely for this team, but if they continue trying and make the playoffs, history has shown anything can happen

16.    Team S (7) – MISSING PERSON ALERT!  The Commissioner may be taking a look at this team.  This week they started two players who were off, had viable players who could have started in their place, and if even just one of them had been started instead, they would have won their game, pulling off a major upset and significantly changing the standings.  At least for the moment they drop all the way to the bottom as they have every appearance of an abandoned team

So, entering our sixth week of play and we quite possibly may have lost our first team of the season.  It’s always disappointing to me when I see a team that is struggling be abandoned so early in the season.  A fantasy football league should be fun for everybody, it should be able to engage everybody regardless of individual team performance.  People should play fantasy football because they want to have fun, not necessarily just because they want to win. 

There is a story that I’ve told before which is relevant here once again.  Other than this league I’m involved in three other long-standing leagues which are considered “professional” fantasy leagues in that there are a few thousand dollars at stake in each.  Several years ago my team was dead last in points basically the entire season.  By the seventh week it was clear, I was not going to be competing for any kind of prize as far as overall points.  However, I knew that the integrity of the season relied on me continuing to play the game as if it was the first week of the season.  I had to start viable lineups or else the teams I played later in the season would theoretically have an easy victory compared to the teams I played in the first couple of weeks.  Remarkably, while my team continued scoring in the bottom third of the league every week, my opponents consistently scored less.  By week 14 of the NFL season, my team had somehow snuck into the playoffs as a wildcard.  By the end of our fantasy season, I was still dead last in points by a wide margin.  I was also Super Bowl champion that season.  There were many games where changes I made in the lineup resulted in an extra couple of points for me that week, and while it had no effect whatsoever for the overall point standings, those extra points gained a victory here and there, and without those I would not have had one of the most memorable seasons of my fantasy football career.

One other story that comes to mind was a season where I was running away with overall points, but struggling to make the playoffs.  It came down to the last week of our regular-season and my opponent, who had no chance of winning any prizes that season, continued to make changes to their lineup.  The result was them starting the New York Jets defense against Miami on a Monday night instead of their primary defense.  With six seconds left in the game, Dan Marino throws a pass for no reason which is unbelievably intercepted.  I lose my game by one point and do not make the playoffs.  However, over 10 years later, both me and my opponent still talk about that game, which would have never happened had he abandoned his team because, from an individual perspective, he had nothing to play for.

 

 

 

If the NFL and fantasy football have anything in common, it is this: there are no guarantees.  How your favorite NFL team did last season has as much to do with this season as the effect NASA shooting the moon will have on our tides… maybe less.

 

Take a look at Tennessee this season.  Last season they had a record of 13-3, best in the NFL, the number one seed in the AFC.  Going into the playoffs, every Tennessee fan had their eyes set on the Super Bowl and most of your analysts had them as favorites.  Then, they lost in their first home playoff game.  So much for the experts.

 

Then, during the off-season, they lost the middle of their defensive line, the disruptive force of nature which goes by the name Albert Haynesworth.  They didn’t do a whole lot to replace this loss on defense, but everyone seemed quite happy with their acquisition of Nate Washington.  Which leads me to a quick tangent, ever notice how many Pittsburgh Steelers receivers move on to other teams and do absolutely nothing?  Burress might be the lone exception, and he’s in prison now.

 

Anyway, Tennessee is now off to a 0-4 start and I believe only one team has ever come back from 0-4 to make the playoffs (bonus points to the first person who posts what team that was.  Double bonus points if they can truthfully say they didn’t have to google it).

 

Does one player like Albert Haynesworth make that big of a difference to a team?  Every coach in the NFL will tell you, no, we can’t rely on one player to make that big of a difference and we can’t use the loss of that one player as an excuse.  However, in reality the loss of one real difference maker can in fact make a difference, otherwise, why call them “difference makers” in the first place?

 

And, as is the case in many situations, what happens in the NFL has a direct result on what happens to your fantasy football team.  The loss of Albert Haynesworth has a direct result on the fantasy performance of Lendale White.  Most people think, but one is on defense, the other is on offense, what possible connection could there be?

 

The loss of Haynesworth has resulted in Tennessee falling behind earlier and more frequently in games.  White is a grinding running back, normally used to wear down the opponent in the second half and close the door.  That kind of running back doesn’t fit into the game plan as easily when your team is trailing.  Now, is the loss of Haynesworth the only reason White is having a significantly less successful season this year when compared to last?  No, I wouldn’t say that, but I do believe there is a definite effect that happens team wide in the NFL with the loss of a significant player, whether on offense or defense.  Fantasy owners who can see these kinds of trends before their draft will already have a leg up on many of their opponents.

 

And, speaking of somewhat hidden trends, I’m starting to think it might be wise to keep your eye on who I am taking as a potential sleeper player each week and then avoiding them!  Glen Coffee had a fairly decent game, but he couldn’t find the end zone and dropped a couple of passes which would have added to his overall total yardage.  I’m going to give myself a push on that one.  But, Darren McFadden gets injured early in the game and is now out for 2-4 weeks.  However, Brandon Jacobs did not get into the end zone against Kansas City nor did he go over 100 yd., so that has to be a pretty good pick.  So far, I am 2-5-1

 

This week for my secondary players like think should perform well, I’m going to try out the wide receivers. Braylon Edwards has been a disappointment since 2007, and he just got traded a couple of days ago.  But, he will be playing on Monday night and I just cut him from another one of my teams, so I’m expecting a big game from him.  Also, Chad Ochocinco is no longer considered a number one receiver in most fantasy football leagues, but he has been having a really decent season so far and even though they are playing a tough Baltimore defense, I think he does well and should be in your starting lineup.

 

For my guaranteed starter who I expect to struggle, I’m going to go with Tom Brady.  I know he hasn’t been scoring as expected so far this season, but everybody still views him as one of the top two fantasy quarterbacks in the game today.  But, they are going to Denver and Denver has just had a beastly defense so far.  Depending upon who your backup quarterback is, I would seriously consider setting Brady

 

Onto the power rankings!

 

1.      MM of M (2) – the Monkeys step up to the number one spot for the first time this season, and standing above all of the other teams shout out the immortal words of Denzel Washington “King Kong ain’t got (number two) on me!” even though 31 of their 108 points came from the defense, their overall roster still performed outstandingly, and that is without Frank Gore and Steve Smith (Carolina edition).  Much like Donkey Kong, the Monkeys have stolen our girlfriend and stand at the very top of the tallest skyscraper hurling barrels at all of those beneath him in an attempt to stop a simple, hard-working plumber from rescuing his true love.(extra bonus points for anybody you can tell me the name of Mario’s girlfriend, double points if you can honestly say you did not google it)

 

2.      Team Eagles (1) – the Eagles drop-down one spot, but they are still more than competitive.  Drew has had a couple of slow weeks and is off this week, but, barring injury, he’s going to start scoring again sooner rather than later.  The only real concern for this team right now is, what is the real personality of the running backs?  Is Darren going to be given the chance for more playtime after his off week?  And is Willis for real in Baltimore?

 

3.      Evil Midnight Bombers (3) – the Bombers once again score somewhere in that 80-100 range, but this week it is not enough for them to win the game as they fall to their division rival, the heartless King Donkey Monkeys.  There is a lot going on with this team.  Matt Forte is starting to come around a little in Chicago, Philip Rivers continues to score excellent fantasy points while losing every big NFL game he plays in and now there is a bit of injury concern with Felix Jones and Hester both being unavailable this coming week.  The Bombers hold on to number three, and while I still think they have the ability to get back to number one, I would know of no longer be surprised if they slip out of the top five

 

4.      Dreaded Mercenaries (4) – they get back on the winning track but hold steady at number four.  The main reason for this is all of the question marks in Dallas.  Barber is a gamer, no doubt about that.  But what is happening leading man Tony Romo?  The All-Pro quarterback (who has never won a single big game) who always collapses in December is starting to play the same way in September and October.  That’s not good news for Cowboys fans, and it’s definitely not good news for the Mercenaries

 

5.      The Bloodsuckers (6) – last week they had their eyes set on the top five, this week that move into the top five with another good overall team performance.  Big Brother Manning looks like he wants to move back into the number one fantasy quarterback spot.  They are extremely solid at quarterback and wide receiver, but they’ve got some significant problems at running back with Fred Taylor being out indefinitely.  Julius Jones is now their only remaining running back, so it will be interesting to see what kind of waiver wire moves that make.  Or, could there potentially be a trade in the works with Donovan McNabb?

 

6.      Farva’s Shovelheads (7) – they moves up to number six, but there are certainly reasons for concern.  McFadden is now out at least two weeks and didn’t guy named Greg Jennings used to play for Green Bay?  Whatever happened to that guy?  The good news is word out of Tampa Bay is that Cadillac is going to start receiving more playtime again.  The bad news is he still on Tampa Bay.  This team needs just one spot away from the top five, but that may be a difficult spot to move into

 

7.      Team S (5) – in my opinion, one of the best albums of the nineties was The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails.  However, you don’t necessarily want a statistical representation of that album to be the legacy your team leaves on the league.  Unfortunately, that appears to be exactly what is happening with Team S.  This past week they started a quarterback who wasn’t playing even though they had a quarterback that was eligible on their bench.  Sure, Jason Campbell isn’t MUCH of a quarterback, but he still got 12 points more than nobody.  Would it have made a difference in the game?  No.  But, this team has arguably the number one player in all of fantasy football with AP and they are not scoring points.  You start to see players who are not playing in the starting lineup and it brings up the question of how committed the ownership is to winning.  The lyric “I… hurt myself today” comes to mind

 

 

8.      Mopar’s Marauders (9) – the Marauders flip-flop with the Pharmacists and move right back into the top half of the league.  They remain unbeaten, thanks in huge part to the performance of the San Francisco 49ers defense this past week.  43 points?  That’s just insane.  Which brings me back to something I spoke about over a year ago, I’ve never really liked the scoring system in most fantasy football leagues.  Anytime teams are routinely scoring over 100 points, I think there are too many bonus points being given out.  I’m not sure that a 10 yd. gain is really worth one point.  Does a running back getting 60 yd. for your team honestly equal a touchdown that a running back scores?  It just doesn’t seem balanced.  But, that’s a discussion for another time.  Even with this is going system, your defense is not going to the 43 points every week.  However, this team is still looking at moving up the rankings next week

 

9.      Amateur Pharmacists (8) – the Pharmacists slide right back down into the number nine spot..  They managed to score nearly 90 points without Michael Turner, and they have one of the hottest defenses in Denver.  If Ryan Grant would get on track then this team could make some serious headway in the power rankings

 

10.  Damages (10)  – they managed to hold steady at number 10 without two of their major contributors contributing.  This team has made some great acquisitions in free agency and right now I think that they may be my frontrunner for coach of the year as they seem to be squeezing every bit of points they can out of their lineup from week to week.  It hasn’t been enough for too many victories thus far, and Baby brother Manning as a slight injury concern now.  But, could there be a trade on the horizon?  Damages currently have two decent quarterbacks, and there are plenty of teams in this league who could use one of them

 

11.  Heavenly Rampagers (11) – Ronnie Brown does his best to prove to me that he is indeed a number one guy, but even with his performance he still is not the leading running back for this team this week.  The good news for this team is the possible emergence of Rashard Mendenhall.  Willie Parker is out again this week, so that means at least one more game with Rashard being the main guy.  If he performs against Detroit anything along the lines of how he performed against San Diego, Parker may have a hard time finding his way back into the starting lineup.  It also might be the beginning of a surge up the power rankings for the Heavenly Ranpagers

 

 

12.  Legion of Doom (13) – my own team gets its first victory of the season and moves up one spot.  However, 53 points came from the tight end/Defense/kicker combination, and as I said before, that’s just not going to happen on a regular basis.  There are some signs of hope though, Donald Brown and Knowshon Moreno both seem to be getting more and more playing time every week.  It’s possible there is still a chance for this season

 

13.  Team Falk (12) – they lose their game and slide down one spot.  More disturbing than that, the warning signs from last week seemed to have carried on as this week they start another player who was not playing.  In this case, it’s even worse as it’s a kicker and it was his off week.  Add to that the injury to Roy Williams and the overall trouble in Dallas and this team may be looking at the bottom three in the not-too-distant future

 

14.  OffInThe Shower (15) –  they go over 100 points again and climb up another spot.  This might be the beginning of a climb all the way up into the top half.  Steve Slaton seems like he might be starting to get on track and there are signs that Brandon Marshall might be starting to find some chemistry with his new quarterback.  Add to that the outstanding performance of Steve Smith (New York Giants edition) recently and the consistent performance of Brandon Jacobs and this may be a team to keep an eye on.

 

15.  Mr. Al Davis (14) – you know what I just realized?  The team Mr. Al Davis doesn’t have a single Oakland Raider on his roster.  You get knocked down a spot for that if nothing else!  I think that this team is most likely going to remain in the bottom 25% of the power rankings throughout the season.  Neither other quarterbacks are going to score points consistently, and Jones-Drew is really their only serious threat.  However, they did win their game, so while I don’t see them moving too far up the power rankings or competing for overall points, the season is far from over

 

16.  Gaul Village Asterix (16) – well, so much for a new Team Voodoo.  They score more points than they have on any other week, so of course they suffer their first loss of the season.  Even though this team is 3-1, I think that has been more a result of scheduling and luck than anything else.  They are getting Westbrook back, so that’s something, but otherwise I just don’t see this team scoring more points than most of the other teams in this league on any given week

 

 

We are already 25% of the way through the NFL season.  But, what that really means is that we still have 75% of the way to go!  Are there some teams who are already dropping by the wayside?  Can any of the 0-4 teams, either here or in the NFL, still make the playoffs?  Your guess is as good as mine

 

For the NFL, the bye week is usually a welcome break. It gives teams a chance to rest their injured players, go over game plans and Scouting film and in general make whatever adjustments are necessary to either right a troubled season up to this point or continue the success. It doesn’t really matter when it happens in the season, whether you have the off week in the fourth week or the tenth, every NFL team looks forward to the break.

On the other hand, for the fantasy football player, the start of the bye weeks signals the beginning of the long road that truly determines what your season will wind up being. For the next seven weeks being aware of the schedule can be the main thing that make or break your team. Although I haven’t kept a record of it, I would be willing to wager that every year I have played fantasy football, somebody in some league at some point forgets that there is an off week coming up and starts at least one player who is not playing.

This kind of oversight can derail a previously successful season. In addition to that, there are between 4-6 teams who do not play on every off week. While it doesn’t happen nearly as frequently, I have seen many times were an owner starts multiple players who are not playing that week!

Now, I am not talking about the guy who is 0-9 after nine weeks and 300 points out of first place who has given up on the season and just isn’t playing anymore. Everybody loves those players by the way, trust me. I’m talking about the team that is 5-1 and fighting for first place in points. On more than one occasion I have seen a team in this position inadvertently start a couple of players who are not playing because of the off week, lose their game by three points and it is that extra loss that keeps them out of the playoffs.

On top of that, there is a definite psychological effect to this kind of oversight. An owner that is committed to winning in their league who makes this kind of mistake, oftentimes find themselves unable to get past those missing points, or those extra losses. In this kind of situation, there’s no one to blame but yourself. You can’t point to the unexpected injury that shut down your superstar in the second quarter and, thereby giving you less points than you expected. You can’t point to the spunky underdog team who, for no reason other than to annoy you, plays defense unlike anything they have played all season long and shut down the high scoring offense, of which you happen to have two players on. No, in this situation the points you have lost, and possibly the game that you have lost falls squarely on your own shoulders.

It’s easy to think, well, it was a mistake, nothing I can do about it now, have to move on. But believe me, if you are truly invested in playing the game, if a draft day feels to you the same way Christmas feels to a kid, then at the end of the season if you are not in the playoffs or competing for the lead in overall points, and you look back in the reason for this is that oversight you made in week five, you will curse yourself.

All that being said, there’s a remarkably easy way to avoid the situation. Check the NFL schedule! It only takes a couple of seconds and most league software even has the off weeks for all of your players right there on your team page. It’s a pretty easy way to avoid a situation that can cause the demise of your season, and in some situations, wreck the fun of the game for other players as well.

And speaking of wrecking the fun of the game, I’m starting to think the NFL, and I’m speaking of the NFL as a self-aware being here, is out just to screw with me this season. In my picks for sleepers last week, I went with Felix Jones and Chris Wells. What happens? Felix Jones looks awesome… right up to the point where he gets hurt. And, despite the fact Arizona is playing an extremely strong pass defense in Indianapolis, their main threat at running back, the explosive rookie Wells gets two carries all day long. What kind of coaching is that? In the words of the ESPN game day crew “ C’mon man!”

At the other end, I did say to expect a big drop off in the production from Chris Johnson. He still put up over 90 yd., but no touchdowns. Overall, I would say that qualifies as a significant drop.

That means that so far this season, I’m only 1-4. But, as I said before, anything over a 500 record I would be happy with, and it’s still a long season. So, what about this week?

For my secondary players, I’m sticking entirely with the State of California. Darren McFadden plays for Oakland, and that’s bad enough for most people to keep him on the bench. But, he is the one guy with any real talent on offense, and he’s going up against Houston who is dead last in the league against the run. Also, Glen Coffee looked dynamic in the preseason, and now she gets a chance to carry the load with Gore being out the next couple of weeks. I’m expecting both guys to perform well.

For my guaranteed starter who I expect to underperform, I am going with a gut feeling on this one. Brandon Jacobs has been consistent all season. And he is going up against Kansas City. Jacobs owners have every reason to expect good numbers this week. But, strange things always happen in Kansas City, I just have a feeling Brandon disappoints this week.

Not a whole lot of movement in the power rankings this week, but what there is is fairly significant!



1. Team Eagles (3) – the Eagles leapfrog into the number one spot. They have been leading the league in scoring since the start of this season, but this week they convinced me that it was time for a change at the top. They lost their first game in an upset, but what impressed me was that they still managed to score 91 points despite Drew Brees only managing four points! When you can still manage to score nearly 100 points when you’re number one guy doesn’t perform, then you have the kind of team that can win it all

2. MM of M (2) – the Monkeys stay at number two for another week, but you know, monkeys and number two have a long history. The main reason is the injury to Frank Gore. The word is that he is expected to return after their bye week. How well can the Monkeys survive without their main guy? As with the Eagles, if you are a truly powerful team, you can score even when you’re number one guy doesn’t. If the Monkeys can keep up this scoring pace without Frank, then I would expect them to be in a battle for the number one spot throughout the season

3. Evil Midnight Bombers (1) – the Bombers remained consistent in their scoring, but it’s been three weeks now and they haven’t had a real explosion. I still feel that might have the best roster from top to bottom in the league, but the question of whether or not they can actually perform or if it’s all potential is starting to creep into my mind


4. Dreaded Mercenaries (5) – they lose their first of the season in a heartbreaker, but they do enough to move up another spot. While their roster overall might not have scored points that would make you think they deserve to move up, it was some of the moves that they made that I feel warrant the move upward. Getting Choice into the lineup, knowing that they had to sit Barber shows that the ownership of the Mercenaries is on the ball and serious about winning

5. Team S (4) – they slide down another spot in the rankings and are dead last in overall points. They still have AP, and now Pierre Thomas seems to be getting back into the swing of things. But, Owens had zero catches last week, the first time in 185 games that has happened. And the quarterback issue is still looming large. They are still clinging to a top five spot, but they are building up some downward momentum that might be difficult to stop

6. The Bloodsuckers (6) – they lose their game but hold steady in the rankings. Big Brother Manning is clearly the driving force on this team. They made a couple of costly coaching decisions this past week, sitting Randy Moss and starting Maroney over Fred Taylor. That was the difference in their game. However, they still managed 92 points and have their eyes set on the top five

7. Farva’s Shovelheads (7) – they hold steady at number seven, but those chances that they took at running back which were looking so promising a couple of weeks ago are starting to become a bit of a concern. They still have one of the best fantasy quarterbacks around, but it appears that there are starting to be a number of question marks. Whether or not they are able to stay in the top half of the league is going to be decided on how well they are able to handle the off weeks


8. Amateur Pharmacists (9) – the Pharmacists climbed up one spot thanks mostly to the performances from Santana Moss and Matt Schaub. Michael Turner still is not scoring as it would be expected, and I don’t think Santana is going to score significant points on a regular basis. Still, if Schaub continues performing well, Michael Turner picks it up and Ryan Grant steps up, they have the ability to make a move towards the top five

9. Mopar’s Marauders (8) – the Marauders drop down one spot, but they are still right in the thick of things.. Chris Johnson is going to be the catalyst for this team all season long. Without Johnson, the Marauders are a team that would be in fairly big trouble. With him, they have the potential to outscore anybody.

10. Damages (11) – they climb back into the top 10, but this might be a tough week for them coming up. Fitzgerald is off and Parker is currently listed as doubtful. They have a couple of quarterbacks who are putting up consistently good, but not outstanding, numbers. But they need more support if they are going to make any kind of run this season

11. Heavenly Rampagers (10) – the Rampagers slide down another spot and they must be on the verge of pressing the panic button when it comes to Tom Brady. If Brady does not have a return to his form of two seasons ago, then I’m not sure this team is going to be able to compete.. Ronnie Brown is a very solid number two running back for your fantasy team, unfortunately he is the number one guy here. And Harvin has all sorts of potential, but there’s no guarantee how he is going to perform over the course of the entire season… Overall, I believe that as goes Brady, so goes the Rampagers


12. Team Falk (12) – they get a big victory in a tiebreaker situation, but unlike the team they beat, there are some warning signs here. It was pretty widely publicized that Tomlinson was not going to play last week, but they still had him in the starting lineup and it almost cost them. Now, this might have been a conscious decision. This is a very thin league, meaning that because of the rules and roster size, no team can have very much depth on the bench. It’s very possible that they were aware that Tomlinson was not playing, but given the choice of dropping one of their other players, and very probably losing them to another team, and starting somebody that they knew was not going to play, they went with the long-term vision. If that’s the case, then I expect this team will be able to work their way up the power rankings over the course of the season. If it was just an oversight, then they might not ever break into the top 10

13. Legion of Doom (13) – frustration, thy name is Beanie! The signs all seemed to indicate a big game for the rookie last week, and for reasons unknown to anyone, he got two carries. On top of that throw in the continuing struggles of Eddie Royal, and you have a perfect recipe for a slow start the season. It’s going to take at least one of the rookie running backs to start breaking out for this team to have any chance of making a move this season

14. Mr. Al Davis (14) – OK, who else thinks Al Davis is a vampire? An insane, blood starved vampire? I’m just throwing that out there. As far as this team goes though, there might be some hope still. They erupt for 111 points and Jones-Drew was a very big part of it. I’m still not sold on their roster, but if Jones-Drew can start scoring again and Driver can keep playing as he has been, then it is not out of the realm of possibilities for this team to make a run

15. Shelby Township (16) – they break out with 118 points this week and get out of the bottom spot. But let’s be honest, you’re not going to score 52 points out of your tight end/defensive team/kicker combination on a regular basis.. There are some reasons for hope though, Steve Slaton showed some signs of life last week, Branden Jacobs remains consistent and Branden Marshall got in the end zone, even though he was not starting it’s still a good sign. If everything falls into place, this team still might move into the top 10

16. Gaul Village Asterix (15) – do we have a new Team Voodoo?? The Asterix are next to last in overall points, and really don’t seem to have any individuals on their team who are capable of working out, and yet there are 3-0! Other than their record, there’s very little in the way of good news for this team. Word out of Philadelphia is that Westbrook is going to be splitting carries the rest of the season with McCoy, and Westbrook was their main threat. But, as is the way of fantasy football, even though they are at the bottom of the power rankings and next to last in overall points, right now their playoff hopes are much brighter than the majority of the league


And there you have it. We are now at the beginning of the real grind of the fantasy football season. How many of the currently powerful teams will not be able to maintain their current levels of performance? How many of the lower ranked teams will be able to take advantage? We will start finding out this week