It’s almost time for teams to make playoff runs so let’s talk about the contenders. Tim appears to be in contention for the second spot in the West division but Kevin is hot on his trail. In the East, almost everybody is still in contention but I see Derek and Chris as the favorites. I’m still trying to decide which team I would rather face in the semi-finals.

Saturday is the last day to make a trade so if you are looking to make a move, do it now.

Don’t forget we start Thursday night games this week so don’t forget to set your line-ups earlier.

*Week 9 Review – Highlights from Week 9

Rhett’s WRs let him down again as he was dealt a postseason ending loss. Maybe that 6-4 RB-WR balance has a little to do with it but the few investments Rhett made at WR sure didn’t pan out this season.

AK was able to lock up his win even before the Monday night game with DeAngelo Williams putting up huge numbers. No comeback this week for Dave. White and Tomlinson both laid big turds this week and Dave still has to deal with Slaton. It might get worse if Larry Johnson enters the picture. Dave’s playoff hopes hang in the balance. Rodgers might be this year’s Drew Brees at this rate.

Tim lost to Chris but gets the whammy prize of scoring the second most points this week. Ouch. He ran into a team with 4 guys scoring 20+ points. Even Warner’s heroic effort couldn’t do get Tim this win. Olsen: DAMN! The loss didn’t hurt Tim’s playoff hopes but it helped Chris’. Chris is going to be hard to beat with those RBs scoring like they are.

Derek won a big game against Matt. Instead of being all tied up, this win puts Derek ahead of the pack and puts Matt in a pinch. Derek’s team showed some depth as he won with lots of his players not playing. Matt had enough bench points to win but bench points suck. Bears DST against the Browns = GOOD. Against Warner = BAD.

Brian gets win number 2 against Kevin even though he predicted his own defeat. Congrats to Brian. Michael Turner is getting hot a bit too late to help Brian into the playoffs. And is anyone other than Dave thinking “FUCK you GB”? Everything from GB smells like shit to me other than Rodgers. Kevin would have been all tied up with Tim had he won. That RB situation has to improve for Kevin if he is serious about making the playoffs.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Brian went with GB DST over Chargers DST. That should have been the right play but GB sticks like shit. Lost to TB? Fuck you guys.

Both teams got value from Celek/Wallace trade.

*Interview – Thank you Kevin and Rhett for your responses.

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Kevin:  Wide receivers.  I have 3 stud WR.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Kevin:  Running backs, my first and second round pics are not doing well.  All the backups I drafted are now injured and I dropped them on the waiver wire.  Rhett has collected every running back on the waiver wire so I have no depth.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Kevin:  Yours of course, I put up 97pts and lost

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Kevin:  This year I am luckier with the strength of schedule, in past years I have had the team that score the most points but cant get a win.  I have a ton of injuries and I am still looking alright.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Kevin:  Brett Favre, I picked him up on waivers the 2nd week after Schaub looked like another bust.  He keeps putting up big points so I need to keep him.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Kevin:  Definitely Forte.  I picked him with the 5 pick which I thought was a total steal since most websites had him as the 3rd overall pick.  The addition of Cutler seemed like a perfect combination for his success since defenses couldn’t stack the box.  I thought he was in for a huge season.

+++++

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Rhett: First of all, let me say how much of an honor it is to be interviewed by the Son of Frank himself. As for my team, not much has been going right. However, Manning and S Jax have been consistent. Owen Daniels was a monster until I lost him for the season. And the Vikings have been known to put some nice points on the board here and there.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Rhett: Two Words: WIDE RECEIVERS. Steve Smith licks donkey balls. D Jax is boom or bust. And I haven’t gotten much from my waiver wire pick ups. Brian and Chris got the best ones in Austin and Sims-Walker.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Rhett: I fear no one. But I do hate the divisional set up for our league, if I can go off on a tangent. I liked the fact that in previous years I would play everybody at least once. If we could change this going forward, I would highly recommend it.

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Rhett: See above comments about Wide Receivers. If I could get some points from them, it would be a totally different team.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Rhett: Owen Daniels was. He was the top TE in the league after just being a decent option is years past.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Rhett: I know S Jax has been consistent, but he has never blown up when I needed him to. Plus, the Rams blow yet again. That sucks.

*Looking forward

Frankson is up against the only person who has beaten him so far: Tim. This is a BIG game for Tim. Tim can vastly improve his playoff hopes with a win but might get tied up with Kevin if he loses. Warner, Gore and White having huge games are key to Tim’s victory.

Brian will look to put together a winning streak against Derek. Derek can stay ahead of the East with a win. Big game for Derek.

Kevin has been on a 3 game slide and might be feeling like the Giants. Both he and Dave need wins here to improve their playoff runs though Kevin needs it more than Dave does. And both teams have some issues at RB. Last week to fix that with trades.

Chris can help his playoff hopes with a win against AK. His running game seems unstoppable but can he count on his WRs without Boldin healthy? AK has a strong rushing game too and Brady vs. Manning might be some mad points.

Matt’s playoff hopes probably start with a win against Rhett this week. He might have to win out the rest of the season to make it. Rhett’s going to want some payback for last week so watch out Matt.

Rhett mentioned the schedule and divisions this week and I have something to add. I’m OK with the divisions like they are. I think most players play nearly every other team. At worst we play 8 of 9 other teams. Rhett doesn’t play Derek this year in case anyone was wondering. I play everyone but I haven’t checked the whole schedule. More importantly, I think more division games should be schedule for the end of the season instead of the beginning. There aren’t that many games against division opponents for most players in the playoff run where they would be the most interesting. More chances for determining your own destiny directly would be great.

I can see a few teams with trades that scream to be made.