Congratulations to Derek for winning the big prize. And to Tim for getting his money back. It was disappointing that I couldn’t bring the trophy (hopefully not just a figurative one) back home to the United States but Derek got me in this last game.

It was close all the way to the end. Even in the last few minutes, there were chances that I could come back with a TD pass or very, very long completion to my WR. And that near fumble right at the end almost gave me a chance. Terrifically difficult to watch and I expect it will be a fonder memory after the disappointment passes.

It pains me to see Hartley having any role in beating me. But he did hit a 52 yarder for 5 points. Also pains me that Bowe had a good game against me. I’m always badmouthing him and he stuck it to me. It was actually as good a result as I could have hoped for from Derek’s final 2 players: Hartley and Turner. Just 4 for Turner is pretty shocking. As is that goal line fumble that Turner never does. But that fucker OL on the Saints that committed a false start when Colston caught that TD killed me off.

This season, more so than previously, has seen injuries rock teams. Kevin got destroyed early by injuries. Chris actually got off lightly but AP nailed him the most crucial of weeks (and in hindsight, I wish he beat Derek last week so I could beat Chris this week). But I was pretty happy 1. Chris wouldn’t beat me again in the finals and 2. no 3peat. Derek got hit for a RB and TE and he had to deal with all the shitty guys he drafted. Pretty shocking when considering the team he drafted that he won it all. He got here off amazing picks off the wire. Tim took some big losses too at TE and WR and RB Best was out most of the season. But Foster and Rodgers and a sprinkle of well timed Forte starts let Tim plow through the field.

I was thinking about how tough this year’s draft was. From the perspective of actually winning the whole thing. That is a player with good games during both playoff weeks. Not a single first round pick played both games or had double digit points. Brees had only 16 points week 16 which is marginal for a QB. Manning had 17 Week 15. Sjax with 15 and 11 is marginal. Mendenhall with 16 and 13 is decent. Schaub with 21 and 16 is marginal too. So there weren’t any guys in the first 2 rounds that were sure fire winners even in hindsight.

Best waiver wire pick is Vick. Brian for the second year in a row, scores the best wire guy (Miles Austin last year) and both times they were obvious pick ups. Right place, right time, all the time. But Derek was amazing with his foresight off the wire. Blount (did you guys see him hurdle that guy this week? he is a big boy!), Hillis, Tamme, Lloyd and Torain all got Derek to the top. If Collie didn’t stay injured, he’d have been a top wire pick too.

Best late round draft picks. Matt with Darren McFadden. Top 5 RB total points. Matt started him for 22 of 212 possible points. That’s just terrible. He didn’t even trade him away. While looking at the draft results, I noticed Alex’s kicker had 75/75 points. The worse kicker anyone owns. Half as good as the best kicker. Tons of better kickers available off the wire. That’s a few orders of magnitude more terrible.

This year, I didn’t exactly plan on drafting 3 big time RBs but the value was there. It ended up saving my ass when Gore went down. If only I had enough depth at WR and TE, I’d be less disappointed. I think drafting for depth will be the way to go next year. Especially with the expected 18 game schedule.

I’m going to call a couple of guys out here. You guys need to step up your game. I’m talking about you Dave and Rhett and Matt. I’m not naming Brian here because he probably deserved to be in the playoffs with the great late run but oops. It looks like I did name him. And Alex didn’t even seem to be paying attention a quarter of the time. Starting guys that weren’t playing multiple times is not cool.

Looking forward to seeing that trophy, Dave. Looking forward to next year too. Hope the season starts on time. The lack of that CBA is unfortunate. But I want another damn crack at the title, damn it.

Seems to me that this season has had more injuries to more players that affected the outcome of games than previously. This week was very characteristic of that trend. Tim was gimp from go. AP’s late injury took Chris out. And that is just Derek’s regular uninjured team.

*Week 15 Review

Tim got rocked hard by injuries this week. Rodgers was his guy but out for this most important game. Then he got hit with an injury from TO that gave Tim zero whole points. Foster getting pulled from his game prevented garbage time stats. DeSean Jackson win the Eagles the game but those points went to the DST. Damn shame for Tim he wasn’t up against the other Canadians. It would have been very competitive.

The Chinese had themselves a peak week. Full participation from the whole roster. Huge effort from the Bears DST. Heroics from the kicker. Even a decent job from the coach putting in the right guys. Damn shame about Collie. Guy is such a stud receiver. And he got Indy that win this week.

Exciting game between Chris and Derek. Derek’s team was all limp-dicked. He did get decent and unexpected output from Lloyd. And Manning was able to score thanks to Collie. But the rest of his starters stunk it up. Derek didn’t start his most productive RBs either. Chris needed 14 or so points for the win from AP on Monday night. Could go either way. Favre was in. Looking better. But a late scratch on AP. But wait. Chris is a 2 time champion. He had AP’s backup. Could still get there. Great first quarter with 5 points but Favre gets his ass kicked by my Bears and Tolbert doesn’t see many more good carries playing from behind. Exciting game to watch. Chris’s team seems to be a mess, though. 14 points from 5 RBs is fucking terrible. What happened to the depth from last season?

*Best plays and worse plays

Tim left his best WRs on his bench this week.

The Chinese took Kevin Boss off the wire at TE. The Mexican wound up with better numbers but Mexicans with the flu can be trusted as much as one with your car keys.

The Chinese took Buehler off the wire at K for 16 points.

Chris had AP’s backup. And it almost won him the game.

*Interview – Thanks Derek for getting this to me after your long flight home.

Newsletter: So The Waiver Wire Wonder makes it. But that team is not putting up any points recently. What happened? What are you going to do about it?
Derek: What happened?  Well, my wide outs stopped showing up. That’s what happened. I kind of blame two QB injuries for that though. Holy crap did Tebow save my ass last week.  Hillis isn’t doing as hot as before because the coach decided they needed more passing in their game.  Yeah, that seems to be working out great for the Browns and their rookie QB.  I just got back to my place after a long flight and the Steelers game just started.  I really should have played Wallace.  But Bowe and Lloyd have better match ups so I don’t feel too bad about that “choice.” (Carolina has a good secondary).

Newsletter: You really lucked out with that AP injury. Tell us what watching that game was like?
Derek: That AP injury, yeah, that was really something.  I was pretty happy when I saw it, but I figured his replacement would have put up the yards anyway.  I think the QB going down had a much bigger impact.
What is really interesting about that AP shit is what happened last year–between myself and Chris in the semi-final.  I was counting on AP for about 12 points for the win, and he put up about 6 or so.
Watching that game was exciting. Damn exciting.  Every yard Gerhart made was just painful though.  It was even funnier sitting next to him at work while the game was still going on.

Newsletter: I don’t know if I like the final game being decided by our regular tiebreakers. Loading up on QBs for no reasonable reason is just bleh since we are just disregarding any resemblance of a real roster. What say we decide on an unretarted tiebreaker. Highest kicker points seem about right for ‘Overtime’.
Derek: Oh shit I wasn’t even thinking about QBs on my bench.  I did pick up Kitna last week for that reason, but having an extra QB on your bench isn’t that strange.  I think Chris had Freeman anyway. As for loading up this week, I was trying to fuck your choices up.  I wasn’t sure if you were going to play Ben.  As for kickers, I’m down for making a different rule, but I don’t want to say yes to kickers without looking at our line-ups and stuff. You kicker might be playing some Def that allows “most points to kicker” or some shit. I wouldn’t put it past you.  You saw Chris’ post—nobody trusts you.  I’ll get back to you after some sleep.

Newsletter: What are the keys for your team winning in the final game?
Derek: I’m going to win if my wide outs have decent games.  I think you will win if they don’t. So it looks like you will win.

Newsletter: Who’s going to win 3rd?
Derek: I think Tim will win third if AP is still out.  It looks like Tim might get his QB back too.

*Analysis and Prediction

Frankson vs. Derek – Healthy Chinese with no ugly matchups. Can’t expect amazing stuff from Roethlisberger but should be stable production. The RBs look like they should have good games. The Giants need this win bad so I have to hope for points from my receivers. Kind of a showdown in the south with ATL and NO. Colston should be good for points. The Jets have a limpy QB who has struggled. Bears DST could and should outscore the offense. No one is kicking to Hester this week, though.

Derek might be feeling uncomfortable with Manning on the road but he doesn’t have to worry. Colts might lose but Manning will get his. Probably to Addai this week. Blount should have 2 TDs against the useless Seahawks. Turner might be limited by the show in the air. Denver should go nuts in the air but Tebow will snake a TD from Lloyd on the ground. The key is Manning to let Addai score on the ground and go to his whiteboy White at WR. Bowe is going to suck this week. Wallace is the guy getting hooked up by Roethlisberger this week.  Chinese win by 10 but Derek has a billion bench points.

Tim vs. Chris – I’m glad I won’t be losing to Chris this week in the finals again. Tim won’t get much out of Forte but at least Foster should have a normally excellent game. Rodgers is a huge risk. I’m sure the Giants will shoot to knock his ass out with a concussion. Jackson has an excellent shot at fucking the Vikings over.

Chris has had the best QB in Rivers but his RBs are shaky. Dallas is going to limit Arizona and they won’t be effective running at all. No better options though. Would be no surprise if AP doesn’t play to keep his leg safe for next year. Calvin Johnson should have a big game. But Pettigrew won’t. Eagles DST is going to have a monster game. Favre plays and he will have a bulls-eye on his shoulder. The keys here are all health related. Whoever gets healthy players in and playing will win. Chris’s team is healthier so I expect him to win by 15.

I’m not sure I like having the final game tiebreakers be bench points. It means it is a good idea to have 5 QBs on the bench once just to have good tiebreakers. Don’t know if there is a great solution out there but it isn’t what the bench is for.

Congratulations to everyone who made it to the playoffs. Better luck next year for those that didn’t.

I didn’t know the first tiebreakers were related to the head-to-head records. I was just going by the stuff posted in the league rules and didn’t recall seeing that. But it makes sense.

*Week 14 Review

I probably should have lost this week. The Steelers can’t get an offensive TD for the life of them. Crabtree is playing like complete shit. Three TDs from the QB and he gets one fucking yard? Fuck you Crabtree. Should have started Branch. What was I thinking. And that fucking TE I have. No matter how much I scream “Get it to the Mexican!”, it doesn’t get to him. I’m lucky Chris had the worse game of his career. 45 ties for third lowest points scored. Or it would have but Alex smashed that old record of 44 with his 37 point performance in week 9. Lucky for Chris the result didn’t matter.

Rhett manages a win against Dave this week to get to a semi-respectable record of 6-8. Dave falls to 4-10, tied for worse with Alex. Next year, lets all send Dave a couple of tips before the draft to help him out a bit.

Kevin has a big game this week to blow Division leader Tim out of the water. Where were all these games for Kevin all season long? He even left 21 points on the bench from Garcon. Oh that’s right. Greene’s 3 points probably explain Kevin’s lack of success all season long. Tim gets hit with a QB concussion. Lucky for him this week’s result didn’t matter. If it weren’t for some nice points from DeSean Jackson and Foster, Tim would be challenging for lowest points in a game here. Did anyone see that Eagles game? I am not talking about that backdrop TD from Jackson. But after the game when the lady was interviewing Vick, Jackson was clowning next to him. Guy is fast as shit but totally unprofessional.

Brian wins out the five games but misses the playoffs. Just barely. Tied record with Derek and Dave mentions they split their head-to-head series. But Derek has more overall points. Vick goes for 25, 27 from the Steelers DST and 17 from MJD. Brian has been on a fucking tear these last few weeks. 100 or more points every game since week 10. Peaking just one game too late. I would would imagine everyone in the playoffs is taking a sigh of relief due to not having to face Brian in the playoffs.

Derek losses his final regular season game to Matt but gets into the playoffs anyways. Manning and Turner go for 50 total but too little from everyone else to overcome Matt. Matt gets 52 from Schaub and Chris Johnson and that is the difference right there. Crazy second half heroics from Schaub. I didn’t think Matt had a chance in hell of winning this one down by that much.

*Best plays and worse plays

Bowe goose eggs again. But at least he had a catch today. Wonder if Derek feels good about starting him in the playoffs.

McFadden on the bench for 38. Damn. Inconsistent but crazy points some games. Will be interesting to see when he gets drafted next season. Made it through most of the season without injury. About half his games were amazing. But takes some balls to start him.

Crabtree over Branch was started by the Chinese. Just terrible coaching.

*Interview – Thanks Tim for your final thought

Newsletter: What are your thoughts on Brian not making the playoffs? Would you have preferred to be paired against him or do you prefer the other 3 currently in the playoffs with you?
Tim: I would have much rather had Brian in there than Derek. His team looks great and I predict that he will win it all.

Newsletter: I know you mentioned going with a strategy involving dramatic choices or something like that during the draft. How has that strategy gotten you here to the playoffs? What were some of the problems?
Tim: It got me here because of Arian Foster and Rodgers, and if I picked any WR other than Fucking Moss for my 2nd pick I would be dominating. So I think my strategy was excellent. To have last pick and still have the best RB in the league….I think my drafting speaks for itself. Problems have been unreliable WRs. I finally have some good ones, but now I’m stuck with Forte as my #2 RB because I had to trade away my other RBs for WRs.

Newsletter: You made a couple of trades this season. Have they played out as well as you hoped? Do you have any trades you regret not being able to complete?
Tim: Trading for D Jax was a great idea. If TO takes his head out of his ass this week to get me to the finals, it will have been a good trade. No regrets.

Newsletter: You started out the year on fire. Then you ended up with the same record as me. I won’t even mention the couple of games that you should have lost. How did your team lose momentum?
Tim: The big issue has been injuries. A. Rodgers only plays every other game. I NEED him for the playoffs. Lost my sweet TE in week 4. brutal. Randy Moss being traded and cut hurt me. My losses only started after I lost guys at key positions. I still made the playoffs and Arian Foster is going to get me to the finals.

Newsletter: Rodgers really fucked you over this past week. Luckily it didn’t matter for you. He probably won’t play. What is the backup plan? Can you win without him?
Tim: I think Garrard will be playing from behind and he has the potential to go off. As long as I get 18 pts. or so from him, I should be fine.

Newsletter: I’m sure you think you will win this week against my team. Why?
Tim:
QB: Garrard is going to put up more points against the colts defense than Roth will against NYJ. Tim 1 Frankson 0
RB: Arian Foster is playing against one of the worst teams in the league against the run. Also Houston will get a lead early and run, run run. Sjax will have a good game too, but not as good as A.F. Tim 2 Frankson 0
Matt Forte will have a tough game against the Vikings, but J. Charles has no QB, so STL will fill the box and let that brutal QB chuck the ball. Tough call here….but I’ll give Frankson the nod here. Tim 2 Frankson 1
WR: Hakeem K. is the only WR left on the Giants, so he will be the focus of the Philly Secondary. TO has been out of action for a bit, but Cleavland is a great team to bounce back against. Palmer is so streaky though..so you never know. Could be good…could be bad. Tim 2.5 Frankson 1.5.
Colston will have a good game against Baltimore as long as Brees has time to throw.
DeJax is the man. If he is healthy, he will tear up the Giants. Vick’s mobility should neutralize the NYG pass rush a little bit. Tim 3.5 Frankson 1.5
Both our tight ends suck, but mine is playing CIN. Tim 3.75 Frankson 1.5
Kickers are pretty even, but ATL will score more points than DAL. Tim 4 Frankson 1.5.
Your defense is going to crush Min. Farve is good for at least 1 pick 6. 2 points for you here. So that leaves a narrow victory for me. Tim 4 Frankson 3.5 multiply by 10 and you have my margin of victory. Tim 102, Frankson 97.

*Analysis and Prediction

Frankson vs. Tim – Neither of our teams are peaking and have actually been kind of shit lately. I have to agree with how Tim broke down the match up by position. Pittsburg has been terrible lately on offense and the Jets probably won’t give up many points. I can only hope that the Indy-Jacksonville game turns into a defensive punt festival since it is a division game that will likely decide who goes to the playoffs.

I expect Charles to have a good game and Jackson to have a OK game. Jackson can’t get into the end zone. He had 2 shots last week at the 1 and didn’t get there. Bradford needs to check it down to him more. Foster is the best RB this season by far and I don’t see the Titans stopping him. I can hope Forte doesn’t do shit though.

Have to hope DeSean Jackson and TO don’t play too. Or that the Giants key in on Jackson and let Maclin go nuts this week. I’m so fucking glad Nicks is back. I would so have this in the bag if Gates wasn’t broken. I predict a 89-89 tie with the Chinese winning due to bench points mostly from the Saints DST.

Chris vs. Derek – Canadian rubble on the gridiron. Neither of these teams have been doing all that well lately either. Chris went down 3 weeks in a row and Derek 2. Absolutely impossible to find a clear favorite since we all suck right now.

QBs are kind of a wash here. SF surely will give up tons of points and the Chargers are desperate for a win. Rivers 25 points easy. Manning needs a win here just as bad. And he probably gets back one of his missing receivers in Collie. Should be 2 TDs right there. Another 25 just as easy.

Chris might be in for a rough time at RB again if Farve doesn’t play again. Hightower would have been terrible but they are playing Carolina. Hillis is solid and Turner is probably going to go nuts on the Seahawks. 10 point advantage to Derek. Calvin Johnson should have an OK game. Dallas hasn’t been going long much with that new coach. I expect a shit game for Austin with lots of action on the ground and short throws. Derek has it rough at WR now after enjoying amazing results for weeks. Cassel is probably out so Bowe probably lays a 3rd egg. Lloyd might not even play and that new coach probably isn’t going to have the backup QB force anything in the air. Wasteland at WR for Derek. 8 point advantage for Chris.

Tamme is going to see more action than Pettigrew. 5 for Derek. I like how Chris is playing the x vs. Carolina route. Chargers DST will just 3 and out the 49ers with few turnovers. 6 point advantage for Chris. So Chris wins by one point because Hartley misses a FG. And we have a god damn rematch from last season.

Good luck hosers.

Here’s the situation. One game left in the season. Chris and Tim have clinched division titles. Derek, Frankson and Brian are the remaining contenders for the two wildcard spots. Derek and Frankson are both one game ahead of Brian.

Brian would need to have Derek lose and would need to win the last game and outscore Derek by 176 points this next game to get in. Brian would need to have Frankson lose and would need to win the next game and outscore Frankson by 57 points this next game to get in.

*Week 13 Review

Fantasy football is hard to predict. I get blown out to Alex when I thought it was the easiest game remaining on my end of season schedule. I didn’t think I had a chance against Derek but I managed to beat him. Derek has been relying on Bowe and Lloyd down the stretch. But they sure let him down this week. Bowe is going to have games like this. The change in coaches in Denver doesn’t Bowe well for Lloyd either. I lucked out with Hillis having a bad game too. That Monday night game was annoying. The Jets missed one FG and then went for it on 4th instead of kicking it resulting in a turnover when I needed just one more point for the win. It took from the end of the 1st Q until the middle of the 3rd before I got that final point. I got stuck playing my own picks off the wire this week. Except for Bradford, they played out. I’m just glad I got this must win game under my belt because Brian is on a tear.

Brian embarrasses Dave by 55 points. More than Dave scored. Dave didn’t help himself by leaving 18 points on the bench but they wouldn’t have changed the result. Ivory has been fantastic lately but was on Brian’s bench. Hard to fault him for playing T. Jones against Denver over Ivory though.

Tim gets a win over Chris in a game that didn’t actually matter. Looks like AP will finish the season even stronger. Foster might get Tim the championship this year.

Really nice game from Kevin to beat Rhett. Rhett had a few misplays at QB, RB and WR. Orton really tanked this one for Rhett. Even more than Bradford did for me. I heard Indy signed Dominic Rhodes again. I’m still waiting for Rhett to pick him up and offer a trade.

Matt gets a win over Alex. This is the kind of game I expected from Alex last week. Alex left some points on the bench but not enough for the result to be different. Matt left a WHOLE bunch on the bench. Bradshaw seems to be toying with Matt. Goes off on the bench and sucks Matt’s left nut when playing. Chris Johnson’s season is really going badly. They must be putting 10-11 in the box against him with nothing at QB in Tennessee.

*Best plays and worse plays

The Chinese started Bradford for 7 points. I knew Steelers vs. Ravens wasn’t going to be full of points so I sat Roethlisberger but 7 is just pathetic.

Jamaal Charles got robbed of a TD this week on some lame ass holding call.

Derek’s waiver wire wonders came up short this week. Hillis, Bowe, Lloyd and Tamme. Oh wait. Bowe was actually drafted by Derek.

Brian makes the right call at QB. Vick outscored Brady. Must be nice having to choose between those 2. Glad I don’t have to face Brian again this year.

The Vincent Jackson experiment, round 2, ends.

Alex starts MSW. MSW doesn’t play.

*Interview – Nothing this week. Once the playoff schedule is set, I’ll send some out.

*Final thoughts

Unless something really dramatic happens last minute, this final week won’t change the playoff picture that much.

I was hoping it wouldn’t get exciting here at the end of the season. I’d have loved it if my team was already in and I didn’t have to worry. It didn’t turn out that way. There is a live battle for the last wildcard spot. It is 2 desperate teams that are trying to claw their way there for the last spot. It is also why I thought this 2 division winner plus 2 wildcard setup would be great.

*Week 12 Review

The Chinese got their asses kicked. By Alex. Think about that for a second. Then remember that Alex had 2 games he probably should have won. He could be in Brian’s spot. I was thinking this would be the easiest of my last 4 games but not at all. His team showed up and my team came in a Team Alex costume. Even the best DST play of the year: the team playing against Carolina, didn’t get shit. Nice work from Alex getting 23 from the Jets DST. And Fred Jackson. I had him last year when Lynch was out and he was very good. Now the backfield is all his and he’s very good. Give him friends in the backfield and he is shit.

Dave gets a huge game from his kicker to edge out Kevin. Dave goes strong with his QB and RBs but his receivers come up gimp. Kevin’s team puts up a balanced effort with contributions from everyone. If I was the commish, I’d give Andre Johnson 2 points per connecting punch. But I don’t think Dave would entertain that idea. That’s some good stuff from Goodson. But the misplay at QB cost Kevin this game.

Brian gets a great win against Tim. I feel not so fresh down there but I was cheering for Tim the whole time. Tim rides his good luck charm, Arian Foster, as he has all season for the win. Rodgers has a pretty fucked up game stat wise. One passing TD but 28 points due to huge yardage throwing and rushing and a rushing TD. But check out Tim’s lame ass WRs. He has 7 of them on his roster. They combined for 14 points. Only one of them wasn’t playing and the most any one WR got was 5. Guess he didn’t quite steal T.O. Brian got there due to nice work from Vick and Welker. Too bad he left Brady on the bench. Brian’s reward for the win is a chance at the playoffs.

Derek puts up enough points for #2 all time points per game. He didn’t quite catch the record he set a few weeks ago. A perfect job as a coach this week by Derek. Hillis and Bowe go for 37 and 35 respectively. That was nearly enough to beat Chris. It would have been enough to beat me and Matt. Solid effort from his skill players too. Derek’s team is totally peaking. Chris’ team is not imploding, like mine and Matt’s, but it has been on a downward trajectory these past weeks. Rivers has his first really bad game. LT is slumping as the season wears on. Chris has little depth on his team but he has avoided injury… so far.

Matt narrowly avoids setting a record for lowest points in a week. He had a shot at the playoffs and had a very nice schedule but these 2 losses take him out. All that good stuff he had going at the beginning: CJ2k (goose egg!!!!), Roddy White, McFadden, they all decided to take a snow day at the same time. Rhett finally decides to put the Vincent Jackson gambit in play. It didn’t work out. After drafting and hanging on to him for 11 weeks, Rhett couldn’t wait. I hope you get a shit contract Vincent Jackson. Rhett, what were you thinking playing a Titan kicker? Nice play with Tolbert and Moreno, though. It’s a win, and that’s more than I can say, but it was fugly.

*Best plays and worse plays

Frankson’s Chinese went with Steven Jackson with a nice matchup over Charles who had a so-so matchup. Wrong choice. The point differential matters right now.

Rhett played a Titan kicker. They using their 3rd string rookie QB.

*Interview – Thanks Alex

Newsletter: How’s it feel kicking my ass this week?
Alex: It felt great to actually have a team show up for once this year. I mean I haven’t had a meeting between my foot and someone’s ass all year. So I’m happy I got one good shot in.

Newsletter: I don’t really care if you beat Matt next week but are you going to beat Brian in 2 weeks? It is really important to me that you do.
Alex: I never really know about my team, but I have a good feeling about my game with brian in 2 weeks. (-ed: Good luck kicking Brian’s ass. I will be seriously cheering for you.)

*Final thoughts

The playoff picture is this. Chris and Tim win their divisions. Unless Brian wins out and Chris loses the next 2 and Brian makes up a 150 point deficit in points scored in 2 weeks against Chris. The situation is similar with Derek. He has a 210 point lead with 2 games to go even if Brian wins 2 and Derek losses 2. But Derek has a 6 game win streak and has been putting up monster points.

The last wildcard spot is between me and Brian. And it is close. I have a one game lead but face Derek and Chris. I’ve got an 81 point lead. Derek’s team is healthy and on fire. When I look at the little news column, not the one about just my players but about all of them, 75% of them are injury updates about my players these past few weeks. I’m not going to win this but I need to get some points. Dave looks pretty evenly matched against Brian. Dave, I NEEEEEEED you to win this game.

Looking ahead to next week, I play Chris again and Brian is up against Alex. I would assume my best bet at a win is week 14 and Brian’s hardest game is this week. Good luck to everyone. To those with a chance and affecting the playoff berths and to those who are gunning for a respectable record.

The playoff push is well underway and there were some big games this week.

*Week 10 Review

I had a very nice Sunday. Colston had a big game and so did Roethlisberger. Hernandez caught one pass but it was a TD. Can’t wait to get Gates back one day. Folk redeemed himself a bit. Decent result from the Bears DST. Matt had an unfortunate game. He missed a couple of plays. Wouldn’t have been enough though.

Tim was hoping to get a comeback win against Dave. Needed a bit more from the Chargers DST but didn’t get there. Dave has been benching Fitzgerald a lot recently. But he came through on Dave’s bench. Tim made a smart move stealing TO. But he didn’t do a good job this week choosing between Best and Forte.

Derek gets a big win. He stays in a 2 way tie for the wildcard berth with this win against Rhett. Rhett had a strong game. Especially from the Ravens DST. Derek just went nuts though. Manning, 2 RBs and Bowe had great games. I just hate seeing Bowe do well. I think he’s a douche. Rhett had a shot on Monday but Orton needed to get it to anyone but Lloyd for that to happen. Derek was really nervous for no good reason. He always has the other guy’s best WR.

Brian is in the middle of a heck of a late season surge. Seems to be coming a bit too late but he’s been on a tear. Vick, Jones-Drew, Jones, Holmes and the Steelers DST all blew the heck up. Kevin put up a pretty good game with Jennings going crazy. But it wasn’t enough.

Alex was up by a bunch going into Monday. But Rivers went for 4 TDs and just barely got enough for a big time comeback.

*Best plays and worse plays

Alex played a injured WR.

Fitzpatrick would have gotten Rhett the win. Really wish I managed to get him off the wire that week.

*Interview – Thanks Matt

Newsletter: Prior to this week, I thought your shots of the playoffs were pretty good. You have a fairly easy schedule for the last few games compared to me or Derek. But now, it kind of looks bleak. Do you think you will make it?
Matt: Not likely, I’m pretty sure my hopes now rest more on you guys miraculously loosing than they do on me winning. Here’s hoping you and Derek put up some more of that playground football action. You can do it, I’ve got faith in you.

Newsletter: This was a must win game for you and me both. You made some unfortunate lineup choices. What made you finally start Bradshaw? How about those other unfortunate decisions?
Matt: I’ve started Bradshaw before this game, I’m surprised you didn’t notice. McCoy hadn’t been putting up as many points as he had recently, so it seemed like a decent choice. Ochocinco is the bane of my existence, if he’s in he does jack shit, if he’s not he gets decent points, plus he was injured this week. WTF on the tight end and kicker, both were bye week replacements I hadn’t dropped yet, those points were a big surprise. I know miller was still injured but he was playing and I figured he’d still do better.

Newsletter: Baby steps. Can you beat Rhett?
Matt: Yeah, marriage has sucked the life out of all those guys,

Newsletter: How about Alex and Derek after that?
Matt: I would be upset if I lost to alex, I’ll leave that to Dave. Derek will hopefully too break his mind on the jlpt and set a terrible lineup.

I don’t know if I explained this grad school thing to you, I have 0 free time. I was up all night finishing a paper last night. I took 15 minute naps every 2 hours. This is not unusual. I don’t have time to research my players, if I win I thank CBS analysis, if I lose I curse it. (ed: I have no idea what that is like. I’m unemployed.)

*Final thoughts

Derek and I win key games. We both are 1 win away from wildcard berths. If Brian and Matt lose one, we are both in too. Tim and Chris are in. All this is of course assuming our 99+ point lead in total points stand tall.

Love how we have our division and league set up with division winners plus 2 wildcard spots. Shame there isn’t more drama at the end of the season. Have to put that on us letting Tim and Chris go on huge tears and not the format.

I am going to bitch about my WRs. WTF. They are all injured. I am deep at RB not WR. Grrr.

Hope this week’s hottie makes up some for last week’s.

Great week. Tons of close games.

Trade deadline has passed so you guys can quit updating your “On the block” page.

We are finally in the playoff push. Most of the married folks are out of the running but don’t stop setting your lineups. You can spoil someone’s playoff hopes and maybe end up with a winning record.

*Week 10 Review

This week was torture. Things didn’t go terribly but they didn’t go as well as I wanted. My RBs are solid. My WRs were ok. Crabtree had a TD called back. Nicks had some passes picked off. Nick Folk shanked 3 FGs. Missed one in overtime. Didn’t get a shot at one in overtime due to a TD. Kickers are such a big deal this season. And Hernandez. Nothing. Not one point or catch. And the Chiefs DST. They decided to play like a high school team. I was happy to see Manning didn’t do shit and neither did Turner. Glad Bowe was benched because I’m always badmouthing him. But his starters really came through. The big problem was Roethlisberger throwing to Wallace and then Ward got hurt in the game. And the Steelers went down by a lot and had to throw tons. Nice win Derek. Nice win.

Tim blew Kevin out. Look at the Colts DST. Nice play using Garrard. Kevin’s RB troubles continue. He picked all the wrong guys to start.

I thought Rhett had this game before Monday. Brian had Ward knocked out and Jones did nothing. But Vick is a juggernaut. Amazing. Nice win Brian. Rhett had some nice plays. Orton and Moreno. But missed a bunch of other plays too.

Chris continues to win. Another close game. Thought Matt had this one. Solid RBs and White looks like next year’s top WR. Chris had a nice play from Freeman on the bye. But thanks to Vick’s heroics and the Eagles DST, he pulled 28 from his 2 Monday players and got there. I’m happy because this gets Matt off my back but this was Matt’s game. Tough loss.

Dave and Alex had an epic battle. A bit like 2 heroic midgets in wheelchairs. They ended in a tie. But Alex had all the strategy. He left 89 points on the bench to win by tiebreakers. Including 3 RBs that all scored more than his starters.

*Best plays and worse plays

Alex 89 bench points. Almost every play, save a 3 point bench WR for a 4 point starter, was the wrong move. But he still got there!

Dave lost to AK.

Brian played Vick.

*Interview – Thanks Derek

Newsletter: I don’t need to tell you that your draft was rather terrible. What was the plan going in on draft day?
Derek: There was a plan.  It was just a terrible, terrible, terrible plan.

I had a strong team last year, so I figured I would follow the same game plan—get a really strong starting line to begin with.  I wanted the best TE, DEF and Kicker in the league, along with a good QB and 2 good RBs and WRs.  I wasn’t going to give a shit about my bench till my line was full.  I started using the wire last year near the end of the season after Kevin Smith like broke his leg, and I was looking forward to doing it again.  So my plan this year was to use it from the start.

However, my team just fucking fell to pieces when my PC lagged out and I auto-drafted an extra QB really early, and then Ryan Grant broke his ankle in the FIRST FUCKING GAME. If any of you fuckers complain to me about a player not putting up enough points…remember that my first round draft pick got me FOUR FUCKING POINTS THIS SEASON.

And Hartley, oh Hartley…..well his name has a nice ring to it.  Eat a bag of dicks Chris.

Newsletter: You’ve had pretty amazing success off the waiver wire. Rhett must be cursing your name every single week since he loves the wire but rarely finds anything near that level of success. How are you doing it? It isn’t like you are pickup up just the most obvious choices after injuries. You are getting guys that could as easily do jack shit and turning them ALL into gold.
Derek: How am I doing it?  The ability to read at higher than a 3^rd grade level?  General reasoning skills?  Testicles?  I’m not really sure but the only thing I can say for certain is SUCK IT RHETT.

Newsletter: Although I know exactly how it all went down, please explain to our audience how you beat me in that close game this week.
Derek:  Yeah, that game was just silly.  Specifically—the Steelers game.  Prior to that, Turner, Manning, and the Chief’s DEF all crapped their pants on the field and just waddled around all game and put up shit for points.  (I know you like puns).  So both of our teams were looking pretty bad.

It is pretty hard to express my feelings about that last game…I just hated watching it.  I went in about 10 points ahead with only Wallace to play.  You had Big Ben and a TE on New England.  Now that should have been yours, but Ward got injured early, leaving—you guessed it—Wallace as the main man.  You still should have won, but then New England, being the Patriots that they are, realized they hate dirty Mexicans and wouldn’t let Hernandez touch the ball.  ‘MERICA FUCK YEAH!

Watching NE on offense was terrible because I was worried that the Mexican was going to get a TD or some shit.  Then when the Steelers were on offense it was even worse cause anything but a long bomb would get Ben points.

But that is what he did; two bombs in the 4^th quarter to Wallace right in the end zone.

-ed: So I finally get the lead in the 4th Q. But it didn’t last. Every time Roethlisberger threw, it was deep because they were down. There was an INT somewhere but NE didn’t eat clock. They just gave it to their TE for a TD. The TE I was on the fence about getting instead of Hernandez because I knew he got the TDs but Hernandez was coming off a hot game. You can imagine this was tough to watch. Then I had to hope Roethlisberger wasn’t throwing to a black man. But he did. And it was always the same one.

Newsletter: Let’s look at the playoff picture. Tim in married-land. Chris. Me and you are tied for the wildcard spots. I’m fucking elated Matt got robbed by Chris in that Monday game. Gives me breathing room. My final 4 game schedule looks just like yours. 3 hard division games and a easy non-division game. Matt’s schedule was much easier. Two non-division games left. Your thoughts on who makes it into the playoffs.
Derek: I was pretty happy when Matt lost too, but I felt so dirty cheering for Chris….

Honestly, I think with that schedule Matt will make it over one of us.  But I’m not sure if it will be you or me.

Newsletter: Who do you think is the easiest of the current favorites for the playoffs to beat? The toughest?
Derek:  Easiest?  Let’s be honest, no one wants to play Chris.  It’s not just the points he puts up—it’s how he undresses you with his eyes.

Timmy hasn’t been as hot as he was before, but he is still a threat, as well as a total douche bag. (sorry I got nothing)

So probably you.  But I wouldn’t call it easy.  Mother joke.

Newsletter: Bonus question. Was for last week’s but never got published. What’s up with the other division. Except for Tim, everyone has a losing record. Marriage and fantasy football obviously doesn’t mix. And does that imply Tim is being a horrible husband?
Derek:  I was thinking about that too.  How can those guys be so fucking terrible?

Guys…Tim, Chris, and myself are Canadians.  CANADIANS.

Read that again and let it sink in.

Doesn’t that sting a little?  Like that time you got the clap in Las Vegas?  And Timmy?  Yeah, what the fuck is up with that.  It must be his wife playing for him, you know how good Asians are at math and studying and shit.  Asians that aren’t name Kevin anyhow.

On a totally different note, I wish there was a little more news-making and insulting going on in the league. It might be nice if next year we had another award (like 200 bucks or something) for best trash talker or news-maker.  We could have a vote or something at the end of the season.  It might make the news feed a lot more fun.

*Final thoughts

Three guys fighting for 2 spots. Matt is a game back but has an easy schedule. Me and Derek have though schedules. I think this format is great with the 2 divisions, 2 wildcard teams and division games at the end of the season. Would be even better if the other division came to play this season.

I think I get Matt in a close one. Neither of us has terrible matchups. If Schaub messes up that knee, all the better. Go JETS. Kind of a big must win game for me. A loss for me would put Derek up a game. Then I have to go play him for a tie.

I would love Rhett to win this but doesn’t seem likely. Glad I’m against Manning vs. NE.

Thursday Night Football starts TONIGHT! Don’t forget to set your lineups NOW!

Trade deadline is fast approaching. Sunday night.

That was a great story from Derek. I love that Canadian humor even though I don’t quite understand all the puns. This pun was especially vexing. “Koldenhof was unavailable … he was last scene…” Last scene must be some great Canadian pun that only those currently engaged in the profession of teaching English can understand.

*Week 9 Review

I was right about not being in a position to swap Gates for someone who was playing on Sunday if he couldn’t play. I’m lucky I didn’t get a loss for it. But thanks to Brian getting terrible production from his RBs and WRs, it wasn’t a problem. Looks like I played the wrong backup RB. Brandon Jackson comes up big on my bench and Bush does shit starting. Saints DST show up this year for the first time just as I start them. Good deal.

Tim rolls right over Rhett on Foster’s continued great play. Another 31 points. DeSean, who Tim stole from Alex, went for 18 and Rodgers went for 27. Just those 3 guys would have been enough. Rhett had the good Mike Williams but didn’t start him. Not that it would have been enough.

Alex sets a new record low points scored in a single game. At this pace, he might set a new season low total points. Kevin gets the win with the 3rd lowest score of the week. I think Kevin needs to move Andre Johnson for some help at RB. Only a few more days to do it too.

Dave, how unlucky. 94 points is pretty good. But you were up against Derek as he set the new league record high score. 151. New record. Highs and lows in the same week. Derek continues to pull good stuff off the wire. Tamme for 16. Derek started all the right guys and left just 30 on the bench.

Chris wins again. Over Matt this week. Great job picking the Cardinals DST this week. AP never seems to have a down week. Matt has a ton of viable RBs. And I don’t know why he hasn’t started Bradshaw. Guy’s been great. Runs for a great O-line. Runs for a high scoring team. Matt, if you haven’t noticed, you can use serious help at WR.

*Best plays and worse plays

Derek got the Bucs DST (playing against the Panthers this week) from Kevin for Donald Brown. That might be enough to get you the win this week. Fucker.

Tim got DeSean Jackson for BJGE. Smells like traderape to me.

Tim didn’t start TO but he went for 26. I don’t like how Tim is getting such great trades.

Derek for league highest week score ever and doing a perfect job of coaching this week.

Alex for the lowest ever score.

*Interview – Brian is still too upset to talk about getting his ass handed to him this week.

*What about me? (Ramblings about my team)

Great to see Brandon Jackson producing. Not quickly enough to move him in a trade, though. Alex would have gotten a better deal trading for him instead of BJGE.

Glad I have a serviceable backup TE. Gates might not be OK for a bit. Fucking sucks about Collie. Should have been resting his hand and not playing and getting his head squished. I need him being a stud again for me. I’ll probably swap Sjax for Charles before the weekend. Crabtree needs to do shit this week. I drafted him to not suck this much.

I’m not at all confident this week against Derek. He’s been doing really well lately and his team is really coming together. Go Cincy D!!! I’m playing against the most consistent DST this year: the team playing against the Panthers. He’s making a mistake keeping Bowe on the bench this week, though.

*What about yous?

NE’s current offense is fucking Welker owners over. I don’t think he is even startable anymore. I’d start the bad Mike Williams over him.

Quit padding Tim’s team with good stuff!

3 teams are going to the playoffs from the unmarried division. Save for Tim, those other guys are still trying to make .500.