Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

Maybe we can do that for BE....

Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

Eh. I won't be there....

Week X Postgame Analysis
 

Rhode Island Voltaic (6-3) d. Jc's Evil Empire (5-4)
63-29
I think the combined 2 on defense for the Empire summed this one up pretty well. No matter what they could put up, Rhode Island just outdid them. Not like they put up much to begin with, what with their top score of 7 coming from the K spot (and even then, RI got 12 from their K spot). Talk about pro-bowl offenses falling apart. Rhode Island also pulled out a new trick this week: conglomeration. Nothing spectacular beyond Peyton Manning’s 16, but everybody contributed their fair share, giving this one to the Voltaic.

Koko's X-Cats (4-3-2) d. sigmakittens (4-5)
36-35
Yep… that went well. High score of this entire game was Gamble’s 12 on the Kittens’ side of things, and that was unsupported. Where the X-Cats pulled of this slim win was the QB slot. Delhomme got the win on Sunday, but only gave 1 point to the Kittens. Meanwhile, Kerry Collins gets owned, but still contributes 7 to the X-Cats. Strange world, huh?

Feisty Klowns (5-4) d. Nor Cal Crushers (8-1)
64-63
Easily the game of the week. Finally, a bye effects the Crushers. With no Thomlinson, the Crushers pulled out their defense. A combined 30 looked good, especially since all the Klowns had on defense was Witherspoon’s 15. But surprisingly, other than Plummer’s 11 and Westbrook’s 12, Nor Cal had no offense. With Nor Cal’s big toys ineffective, the Klowns opened up. James came out with 13, Droughns had 12, and the entire offense scored at least 5 points a piece. It came together just enough to hold off the Crushers’ Monday night charge. But let's be fair: even losing, Nor Cal still looks good.

hurricanes (2-6-1) d. The Tacoites (5-4)
64-28
The Tacoites were so obsessed with claiming their coveted #11 spot, they threw the game. Okay, maybe not. But the only person who broke 5 for them was Tom Brady and his 8. Meanwhile, the Canes’ defense outscored their opponent alone with 31. Yeah, they lost McNabb and most of their offense stunk, but I still have to give props to the dual 15s from Lee Evans and Chris Chambers. Even if it was just a fluke, it was a darn pretty one.

Stevies Scapegoats (2-6-1) d. Pelan's Bobcats (1-8)
50-37
Shaun Alexander got 26 for the Bobcats! Oh, then Trent Green killed it with a -6. This game was all Goats. Their two Ds combined for 28, and Galloway contributed 12, thus eliminating the Bobcats from playoff contention.

west coast style (4-5) d. QC Elite (2-7)
55-28
“This is a funny looking game.” That it was. “There is no one player who sticks out as a game changer (outside of Marvin Harrison) but they [WCS] have more players who make plays.” Hey, guess who changed the game? Marvin Harrison and his 11. Also in WCS’s favor was the fact that their entire team put up positive numbers. And I’m sure Jacksonville’s 19 didn’t hurt either. All the Elite had was the Giants’ DEF’s 12. And I mean that literally. WCS puts themselves back into the playoff hunt.

Akshar Did It (4-4-1) d. Dunedain (4-5)
58-49
“Being that Dunedain is missing their quarterback and defense I doubt Dunedain will do very well this week.” So I’m going to take the lazy way out here and quote Ed. But that quote is true. Byes killed Dunedain, and beyond Tiki Barber’s albeit impressive 21, they got nothing. ADI’s players at least all contributed (more than half their team broke 5). Their leads were on defense (Barnett’s 17 and San Francisco’s 11), but their offense having no holes is what sealed their win.

FIRSTforce (7-2) d. Coco's Monkeys (4-5)
83-39
The Monkeys’ just can’t catch a break. Just when you think they’re getting back into the playoff hunt, they bomb with four zeroes (only one due to a bye). Peterson’s 22 was just plain wasted. FIRSTforce’s high scores weren’t wasted though (and boy, were there a lot of them). Let’s go down the list: Harrington had 15, Rackers kicked for 11, Fletcher added another 15, and Carolina led the high score of this week with 23. A very solid victory for the Force.

Team THRUST (5-4) d. Your Ad Here (7-2)
57-35
Team THRUST played a good game, but not a great game. Davis gave them 10, Elam gave them 11, and June gave them 9. They had their flaws, but lucky for them, YAH had more. “Your Ad Here is missing three players; not the best way to maintain playoff position.” I know I continuously tease YAH about their gameplay, but to be completely fair, their players on byes didn’t have backups. All in all, there were four donuts and a -1 on YAH. Their receivers looked good combining for 22, but with an injury addled offense and a bye addled defense, it was all but hopeless.

Cooney Quest (5-4) d. IwillCrushYou (3-5-1)
61-53
I can’t say I saw dual 19s coming from the K and DEF spots on Cooney’s roster. I also can’t say I saw IWCY’s defense flopping this week. What they did on offense (namely Portis’s 17 and Fitzgerald’s 13) outdid the Quest, but Cooney’s victory on the defensive side and their unanswered points in the K spot put this W firmly in Cooney’s column.

z= Mathematically eliminated

::takes a second to chuckle at the #11 Tacoites:: Okay, that's done. Playoff Picture:

Still not much we can go on this week. But we have some facts.

• Nor Cal and FIRSTforce will clinch with either two wins, or one win plus a loss from each of ADI, WCS, Tacoites, and Empire. And yeah, if all four of those teams lose twice, they'll clinch.
• Voltaic and YAH can clinch with three wins, or a bunch of other mathematical situations too long to get into this early.
• ADI, WCS, Tacoites, and Empire can clinch if they win out.
• QC Elite will be eliminated with one more loss.
• And finally, the Pelancats are the first to go this season.

Keep in mind this is all pretty much with basic math. There are many more clinch situations, but to explain them all would be too time consuming (both to write and to read) and nigh pointless since most of them will not apply next week. The most important thing to remember is that the top 15 teams are still well in this race, the next 3 can still lose once, and even QC Elite can make the playoffs with a lot of luck.

Also, I still have YAH missing the playoffs. Just saying. :p See you next week.

Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

FIRST Fantasy Football Plus League

Cromer Angry Smash!Nor Cal CrushersJc's Evil EmpireWBI-461Tomahawks Stevies ScapegoatsKoko's X-CatsBeckham Pwns All Fiesty ClownsTolmansigmakittensMechanicatzPelan's Bobcatswst Coast StyleCooney QuestDogs in the Bathtub









WEEK 10 Results[/center]
Jc's Evil Empire(7-3) 104.70Koko's X-Cats(6-4)95.60
The Evil Empire rode a 36.6 to 8.27 advantage in the recieving game and a 17.9 to 5.40 advantage in the running game to overcome Marc Bulger's 28.73 to 19.20 advantage and cruise to victory.

Nor Cal Crushers(7-3) 110.68[ COLOR=Navy]Fiesty Klowns(5-5)[/color]66.83
The Crushers boast a huge advantage at running back and I donn't think Garcia is playing for the Klowns either so things are looing pretty grim for them.
Garcia didn't play and the Crushers running game anniliahted the Klowns 45.47 to 13.2. It was over before it started.

Tomahawks(7-3) 113.20 WBI-461(7-3)98.77
Two players led the Tomahawks to victory. One expected and the other came out of the blue. Peyton Manning predictibly exploded for 41.17 points aginst the weak Texans but who knew Samkon Gado had a 27.20 points game up his sleeve? Jeff Reed added 11.5 points and the Indianapolis CVolts defense added 10 points to the Tomahawks cause. Kerry Collins put up a respectable 29.33 points for WBI-461 and Stephen Jackson and Gary Jones combined for a formidable 24.20 points but they couldn't pull this one out themselves as the rest of the roster failed to help much.

sigmakittens(4-6) 121.16 Mechanicatz(3-7) 95.93
Two teams going in opposite directions.The good news for the Mechanicatz is that no one is on a bye but the bad news is alot of them are injured (including Derrick Blaylock who is out of action). The kitteis don't have anyone who is going to scare people to death but if they perform up to their standards the kitties could be looking at creeping back up into the playoff chase.
The Mechanicatz put up a good fight but they just couldn't stoptheir brutal slide while the kitties can now be considered a serious playoff threat. The kitties were led by the Carolina Pantehrs defense with a hearty 32 points followed by Byron Leftwich's 21.23 points and Reuben Droughns 17.20 points. The Mechanicatz were led by Drew Bledsoe's 19.43 points, Hines Ward's 18.27 points and Jason Elam's 11.5 points.

Cromer Angry Smash!(10-0) 154.14 Stevies Scapegoats (6-4) 116.60
The Smash became the first team to clinch a playoff spot (could a league championship be far behind) as they easily disposed of another tough foe. The Smash were led by Brett Farve's 25.53 points followed by Mike Peterson's 22 points, Larry Fitzgerald's 19.90 points, Edgerrin James, 17.37 points, the New York Giants defense's 16 points ,Stephen Davis' 11.40 points, Jared Allen's 10.5 points and Joe Nedney's 10 points. The Scapegoats were led by Matt Jones 17.10 points, Marvin Harrison's 16.70 points, Warrick Dunn's 16.53 points, Cato June's 11.5 points, Jake Delhomme's (disaapionting) 10.83 points, and Adam Vinateri's 10.5 points.

wst Coast Style(3-7) 106.53 Dogs in the Bathtub(1-9) 85.83
For once the Dogs are actually favored and it's because of the the advantage of Duce Staley and Cedric Benson over Lamar Gordon and Jerome Bettis (who may not be playing) but Donovan McNabb is stronger for wst Coast Style than Micheal Vick is for the Dogs.
Ironically Vick outperfomed McNabb 37.30 to 20.60 but Staley and Benson fell short against the twosome of Bettis and Gordon 11.67 to 9.66. In fact outside of Neil Rackers 11 points the rest of the Dogs roster fell short. wst Coast Style got 21.5 points from the Minnasota Vikings defense and Roy Williams TD Interception fueled 13 points sealed the deal.

Pelan's Bobcats(3-7) 114.40 Cooney Quest(2-8) 79.47
The two surprise winners from last week meet up and it's a battle of attrition as poor roster management and injuries have taken their toll. The Quest have two active productive running backs while the Bobcats have the disappointing Corey Dillon but they also have Tom Brady who's team is backed into a corner and that's when he is at his best while the Quest have retread Brad Johnson.
The Bobcats made the most out of their leftovers getting 29.30 points for a (for once) healthy Roy Williams, 27.60 points from Tom Brady, 19.60 points from Chris Chambers, 17.90 from resurgent Lee Evans and 13 points from teh Seattle Seahawks defense. The Quest got 16 points from Demorrio Williams, 13.87 points from Brandon Stokley, 13.80 points from Brad Johnson, amd 10.5 points from Jeremiah Trotter. They just had far too many zeros on the board to keep up.

Beckham Pwns All(5-5) 127.44 Tolman(4-6)101.83
Beckham pwns All survived posting four goose eggs on their score sheet due to Kurt Warner's 42.97 point explosion, Tiki Barber's 27.73 point contribution, the Denver Bronco defense's 25 points, and Josh Scobee's 13.5 points. Tolman got 20.80 points from Eli Manning, 19.20 points from Clinton Portis, 18.23 points from Joey Galloway and 11.5 points from Keith Newman but losing 5.5 points from kicker Rain Lindell did not help.

Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

FIRST Fantasy Football Plus League

Cromer Angry Smash!Nor Cal CrushersJc's Evil EmpireWBI-461Tomahawks Stevies ScapegoatsKoko's X-CatsBeckham Pwns All Fiesty ClownsTolmansigmakittensMechanicatzPelan's Bobcatswst Coast StyleCooney QuestDogs in the Bathtub









WEEK 11 SCHEDULE[/center]
Nor Cal Crushers(7-3) vs. Koko's X-Cats(6-4)
The X-Cats could get nuked by the lethal one two punch of Shaun Alexnader and Larry Johnson (facing an impotent Texans defense) and quartback Carson Palmer could be huge in a big day against the Colts (or he could fall flat oin his face so what he does goes a long way in how the Crushers do). The X-Cats are heavily relying on Marc Bulger to basically destroy the Cardinals because Willis McGahee could disappear early of the Bills fall way behind and Julius Jones has to split carries now.

Pelan's Bobcats(3-7) vs. Jc's Evil Empire(7-3)
The Evil Empire has the amazing LaDanian Thomlinson going up against the worst rushing defense in the NFL (200+ yard game anyone?) but at press time they lack a quarterback (they have Mike McMahon and Tommy Maddox on the bench. There's a reason why they're backups.) THe Bobcats best hope is Tom Brady because Corey Dillon is just plain hurt this year and Rudi Johnson is facing a tough Colts D. Chris Chambers and Roy Williams could be big time but they are saddled by medicroe (to put it nicely) quarterbacks.

Tomahawks(7-3) vs. [ COLOR=Navy]Fiesty Klowns(5-5)[/color]
The Tomahawks Peyton Manning vs. the Fiesty Klowns Chris Simms looks like the biggest missmatch in NFL history fortunately both teams have tossups at running back as they both wait to see if any of their 4 running backs will step up.

sigmakittens(4-6) vs. WBI-461(7-3)
What looked like a cakewalk no less than two weeks ago is a game of serious concern for WBI-461 as they are the team struggling to win now. While they have possible advantages at quarterback and running back the wildcard that the kitties have is the opportunistic and viscious Carolina Panthers defense who can score alot especially against a weak offense like the Bears.

Cromer Angry Smash!(10-0) Mechanicatz(3-7)
After running the gauntlet of playoff potentials recently the Smash get a team rapidly fading to the back of the pack in the Mechanicatz. Why should things change now?

Stevies Scapegoats (6-4) vs. Dogs in the Bathtub(1-9)
The Scapegoats get a vacation going aginst the Dogs who just can't compete. It doesn't help that they don't maintain their roster and the players they put in are just adequete. The Scapegoats could win with thier recivers Harrison, Chad Johnson and Matt Jones evenif Brunell or Dunn don't play well.

Cooney Quest(2-8) vs. Tolman(4-6)
A close matchup looking for heroes who step up and take charge in all facets of the roster. It's really hard to see where the difference comes from. The quarterbacks are close. The running backs are close. THe recivers tilt more in Tolman's favor though so this could be the difference.

Beckham Pwns All(5-5) vs.wst Coast Style(3-7)
It's hard to win games when you don't put players in position to win particularly at quarterback. wst Coast Style has mailed it in and made it easy for Beckham even though they are also guilty of the same crime they at least have a quarterback and he's a suddenly rather prolific one in Kurt Warner.

Re: Week X Postgame Analysis
 

z= Mathematically eliminated

Koko's X-Cats (5-3-2) vs. Feisty Klowns (6-4)
The Klowns are looking to stomp the X-Cats using Carson Palmer and Edgerrin Jmes taking turns gashing one anotehrs teams. The X-Cats are hoping Willis McGahee could stay in the game but may need the Raiders combo of Collins and Jordan to play big to hope to win.

Rhode Island Voltaic (7-3) vs. Akshar Did It (5-4-1)
The Voltaic got Manning and that is a good weapon to have in your arsenal. So is Warrick Dunn when your opponent only has kick returner Darren Sproles.

Jc's Evil Empire (5-5) vs. Nor Cal Crushers (8-2)
The Crushers stumbled last week but Thomlinson could be just insane this week as could Steve Smith. If Jake Plummer behaves himself the Evil Empire could be in serious trouble and need Steve Jackson and Ronnie Brown to go big to hope to keep it close.

sigmakittens (4-6) vs. The Tacoites (5-5)
Well if the Tacoites want to maintain their 11th place position they beat win this game and there sure are an awful lot of letters after players names. Tom Brady could ease alot of fears.

hurricanes (3-6-1) vs. Stevies Scapegoats (3-6-1)
The canes are going with JP Losman on the road. A very bad sign. Ancient Brad Johnson isn't exactly Joe Montana but he has a better grasp of the offense and a weaker opponent to beat on so thing look up a bit for the Scapegoats.

Pelan's Bobcats (1-9) vs. QC Elite (2-8)
The Elite deserve to lose. Any true competitor never admits publicly to giving up especially to the worst team in the league.

Dunedain (4-6) vs. Coco's Monkeys (4-6)
Coco's Monkeys are done in because Jeff Garcia isn't playing and Dunedain's Drew Brees is. Corey Dillonis hurt and there really isn't anyone who can take up the slack.

FIRSTforce (8-2) vs. Your Ad Here (7-3)
Matchup of the week. FIRSTforce has Rudi Johnson and Mike Anderson who are better than Your Ad Here's Mewelde Moore but Your Ad Here's Steve McNair is better than FIRSTforce's Joey Harrington. But teh Carolina Panthers defense could be the tirebreaker for FIRSTforce who has been nuts in recent weeks.

Team THRUST (6-4) vs. IwillCrushYou (4-5-1)
In Spite of IWillCrushYou's bitter derision to the league they are competitive just unlucky. Again the y are in a tight matchup again but the loss of Robert Fergeson will hurt them no doubt. Of course Team THRUST would like another three touchdown week from Roy Williams and hope he doesn't hurt himself again.

Cooney Quest (6-4) vs. west coast style (5-5)
Brett Farve is the Quest's money train this week as no one knows what you are going to get from Byron Leftwcih from week to week. Marvin Harrison is the best bet to help wst Coast Style take uo the slack.

Week XI Postgame Analysis
 

This analysis is brought to you by STECOP: the Society To Eventually COmbat Procrastination.

Rhode Island Voltaic (7-3) d. Akshar Did It (5-4-1)
56-27
What happens when Rhode Island’s offense falls apart other than Manning and his 17 because El Commish was greedy and thought he’d get a second QB out of Antwaan Randel El thus benching Reggie Wayne who scored 11? Well, other than a nigh run-on sentence with no use of commas, you turn to your defense. Tampa Bay scored 10 and Gibril Wilson scored 11. All ADI could be proud of was Tab Perry’s (again I say, who?) 10, making this game still rather easy for the Voltaic.

Feisty Klowns (6-4) d. Koko's X-Cats (5-3-2)
86-41
“The Klowns are looking to stomp the X-Cats using Carson Palmer and Edgerrin James taking turns gashing one another’s teams.” James:16; Palmer:11. It gets worse for the X-Cats. The Klowns had some nasty support, including Driver’s 17, Droughns’s 14, and Minnesota’s 11. “The X-Cats are hoping Willis McGahee could stay in the game but may need the Raiders combo of Collins and Jordan to play big to hope to win.” Three swings, and three misses. Sure, Burress got them 11, but the X-Cats were still out.

Nor Cal Crushers (8-2) d. Jc's Evil Empire (5-5)
55-39
The Crushers clear 50, and it’s still a terrible game for them. Their only double digit score was Tomlinson with 10. Dual 9s from Trotter and Todd Peterson supported them well though, as all the Empire could counter with was Kevin Curtis’s 10 and Vanderjagt’s 9. The Crusher’s are now one game away from clinching a playoff spot.

The Tacoites (5-5) d. sigmakittens (4-6)
53-33
So is this a good day for the Tacoites or a bad day? On one hand, they won the game with the 15 from Chad Johnson and the 12 from Tom Brady towering over the Kittens’ non-existent offense and lackluster defense. On the other hand, they lost their coveted #11 spot. Woe is them?

hurricanes (3-6-1) d. Stevies Scapegoats (3-6-1)
30-16
Yeah… so this game inhaled audibly. Eleven teams would outscore this entire game this week (two in a loss). Line of this game though is probably the 19 on defense for the Canes, led by Pittsburgh’s 10. And with that combined 2 on offense from the Goats, dare I say that the Canes easily won this one?

Pelan's Bobcats (1-9) d. QC Elite (2-8)
88-32
Well I can’t say I saw this coming. A week after being the first team mathematically eliminated, the Bobcats come out fully loaded. While not much was needed to get by the Elite’s high score of 9 from the K spot, the Bobcats sure were in this one to dominate. Tied for the top score of the week, they got 13 from Green, 17 from Alexander, 9 from Gates, 11 from Lloyd, 10 from McCardell, and 7 from Dawson. That’s a combined 67 on offense. Who needs a defense (though Cleveland’s 13 was a nice touch)? The Bobcats strike hard from the grave and take the Elite back down with them.

Dunedain (4-6) d. Coco's Monkeys (4-6)
74-43
“Coco's Monkeys are done in because Jeff Garcia isn't playing… Corey Dillon is hurt and there really isn't anyone who can take up the slack.” While there were two people who tried to pick up the Monkeys’ slack (Kennison and Baltimore each with 14), those two absences were very costly. “…Dunedain's Drew Brees is [playing].” Oh boy, was he playing. He had the high score with 21. This was supplemented by Bryant’s 13 and Quarles’s 11. At this point, we can simply do the math.

FIRSTforce (8-2) d. Your Ad Here (7-3)
88-77
The one time YAH actually doesn’t try to lose, and they actually lose. They had a decent offense, and with Swinton’s 10, Graham’s 13, and Wilson’s 18, it looked like YAH was going to have a beautiful victory. And a -1 in FIRSTForce’s QB slot almost made that come true. But what the Force lacked in QB pointage (yay, use of Eddieism!), they made up for with a very nice 23 from Mike Anderson, Rudi Johnson scoring 15, Rackers taking 14, and Reggie Brown contributing his 10 points. While just short of being the game of the week as Ed called, it was still a heck of a match.

IwillCrushYou (3-6-1) d. Team THRUST (6-4)
72-71
THIS was the game of the week. Let’s look at what happened on Sunday first. Team THRUST had 12s from Vilma and Holt, 11 from Oakland, and 15 from Eli Manning. IWCY had Larry Johnson’s incredible nighttime performance giving them 22 points, an 11 from Larry Fitzgerald, and twin 14s from Kaeding and Vrabel. But they were still down by one. Lucky for them, the lowliest of scores (Darren Shaper’s 2) on Monday Night gave this exciting game to IWCY.

west coast style (5-5) d. Cooney Quest (6-4)
50-44
I’ll admit, I did a double-take when I saw a -4 in Cooney’s DEF slot. Green bay didn’t do THAT bad. Then I realized they replaced Green Bay with Buffalo. So I look on their bench to see that if they’d kept Green Bay in, they would’ve scored 10 (14 more than Buffalo). That’s right, Cooney actually bet against their beloved Green Bay, and it cost them dearly. Ike Taylor’s 10 wasn’t nearly enough to compensate. Meanwhile, Leftwich’s 19 and Rhodes’s 10 took advantage for WCS, and didn’t let go of it. Both teams now stand at 6-5.
z= Mathematically Eliminated

Playoff picture will be up sometime between now and tomorrow morning (so much for STECOP :p).

Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

Since Ed is away, I figured I'd post a pregame analysis.

FIRST Plus League:

Pelans Bobcats (3-8-0)vsNor Cal Crushers (8-3-0)
Both NorCal (Carson Palmer) and Pelan (Tom Brady) have very good QB's playing weak defenses. The Crushers have Steve Smith, Isaac Bruce, and Joe Horn at WR, while the Bobcats will rely on Chambers, Lee Evans, and Roy Williams. Steve Smith will go off as usual, while Horn and Bruce are hit and miss. Roy Williams could run wild behind Atlanta's secondary on thanksgiving day. At RB the Crushers have Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander, a formidable combination. The Bobcats have a questionable Corey Dillon, and Rudi Johnson facing a week Baltimore defense. Both teams have their defenses facing tough offenses--expect this one to be an offensive battle.

Tolman (4-7-0) vsJC's Evil Empire (8-3-0)
JC is forced to rely on a very shaky Mike McMahon vs the Packers, compared to Eli Manning vs Seattle for Tolman. It could be over right here, if Eli goes off. At wideout, JC has a solid trio of Kevin Curtis, Deion Branch, and Rod Smith. All have fairly favorable matchups. Tolman has Dallas' two top WR's in Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson, who face a tough Denver D, and the red hot Joey Galloway, facing the very tough Bears. At RB, JC looks to have the clear advantage with super stud LT and Brian Westbrook. His key to success will be lots of points from these two. Tolman has Clinton Portis vs the very stingy SD defense, and the horribly ineffective Jamal Lewis vs the Bengals. This matchup also features two of the leagues premier TE's, in Gonzalez(JC) and Crumpler (Tolman). Look for Gonzo to be KC's main target through the air against a very suspect NE secondary. Cincy could put up some big points on D against the inept Ravens, for Tolman. JC shouldn't count on much out of Detroit.

Koko's X-Cats (6-5-0) vs Tomahawks (8-3-0)
Koko has gone with mediocre Steve McNair, albeit against a very soft D in the niners. Tomhawks went the opposite direction, with the league's best QB, though vs a strong Pitt D. At WR, Tomahawks looks to have the advantage with Plaxico Burress vs the Seahawks, and Muhsin Muhhammed vs TB. Koko will turn to the disappointing Michael Clayton, who has done nothing all year, and Derrick Mason vs the Bengals. Neither team appears very strong at RB, with Tomahawks using rookie Samkon Gado, who has a case of the fumbles, and Patrick Pass of the Pats. Gado could see split touches with Tony Fisher, reducing his value, while Pass is currently a gametime decision and may not play. Koko looks to Willis McGahee vs Carolina and Julius Jones vs Denver to pick up the slack on his end. Normally these two would be fantastic options, but McGahee is playing a tenacious Carolina D, and Julius will be splitting carries vs a tough Denver D. Tomahawks also has a clear advantage at TE, with superstar Antonio Gates and Jason Witten. Gates may not play, but if he does, he should be good. Koko will hope Big Ben's return to play helps get rookie TE Heath Miller back into the endzone vs Indy.

Feisty Klowns (5-6-0) vs Sigmakittens (4-7-0)
The Sigmakittens look for Trent Green to feast on the depleted NE secondary, while the Klowns have chosen to play Chris Simms vs Chicago. Hopefully the Klowns weren't expecting much. By the end of the day, he may have been better off not playing a QB. The kittens have a pedestrian trio of WR's. Andre Johnson has the potential for a big game vs St Louis, but we haven't seen much from him this year. The Klowns have Donald Driver, Eddie Kennison, and Joe Jurevicius. Driver and Jurevicius have been solid this year, and should continue to be, though Jurevicius may see fewer looks with the return of Darrell Jackson to Seattle's offense. At RB, the kittens have the hot as of late Reuben Droughns, and Cardinals rookie JJ Arrington. Droughns could put up big numbers vs a bad Minnesota D, while Arrington will be smothered by Jacksonville. The Klowns will rely on the hit and miss Kevin Jones and Mewelde Moore. Either one could have a big day, or do nothing. If the Klowns don't get anything out of their QB, they're toast.

WBI-461 (8-3-0) vs Cromer Angry Smash (11-0-0)
Matchup of the week right here, folks. Both teams compare well across the board. WBI looks to Kerry Collins to unload vs Miami. Cromer has Favre vs Philly. Slight advantage goes to Cromer, as Oakland will be looking to establish the run. Both teams are stacked at WR. WBI has hot Jerry Porter, Anquan Boldin, and Ernest Wilford. Porter and Boldin will likely put up good to great numbers. Cromer has Larry Fitzgerald, Santana Moss, and Antonio Bryant. All look to be solid. This matchup looks like it'll come down to who Jax shuts down--Larry, or Anquan. At RB, WBI has solid options in Steven Jackson vs a horrible Houston D, and Curtis Martin vs a so so NO D. Cromer may have a slight edge with super star Edgerrin James, and Mike Alstott, but James has a very tough matchup, and Alstott looks to get limited touches. Whichever team pulls away at RB will likely get the win. Cromer has the advantage on D, with Jacksonville facing Arizona. However, Arizona may be able to burn them anyway with their fearsome WR combo. WBI is relying on a not so great Cleveland D, but since they're playing Minnesota, it may not matter. I like Cromer by 10

Mechanicatz (3-8-0) vs Dogs in the Bathtub (2-9-0)
Both teams are all but eliminated from the playoffs, and playing for pride from here on out. That said, Mechanicatz will play Drew Bledsoe at QB vs a tough Denver defense. Dogs will play Mike Vick vs Detroit at home on Thanksgiving day. Vick looks to be the clear favorite here, though neither may put up a lot of points. Mechanicatz turns to a solid WR corps, if healthy, of Randy Moss, Troy Brown, and Hines Ward. Moss has been battling injury and been so-so lately. If he and Hines take off this week, they could prove to be the difference. Dogs looks to backups Mike Williams, Greg Lewis, and his one solid option in TJ Houshmanzadeh. At RB, both teams are about equal. Catz is relying on rookie Cadillac Williams, who faces an extremely tough Chicago D, and backup Derrick Blaylock, who doesn't figure to see many touches vs NO. Dogs will be hoping Kevan Barlow of the niners can pull something out vs Tenn, and rookie Brandon Jacobs of the Giants will get some goalline touches for a short TD. Both teams have excellent kickers, with Jason Elam for the Catz, and Neil Rackers for Dogs. The Catz have a clear advantage on D, with Atlanta facing Detroit, vs the Dogs' KC facing New England.

Wst Coast Style (3-8-0)vsStevie's Scapegoats (6-5-0)
Stevie features an average as of late Jake Delhomme, while Wst Coast uses bottom feeder David Carr. The Scapegoats have a huge advantage at WR with Marvin Harrison and Chad Johnson, as well as rookie Matt Jones. All could put up above average numbers. Wst Coast is using Travis Taylor of the Vikings, and some guy I've never even heard of on the Rams. Neither look to bag many points for the struggling Wst Coast. The Scapegoats also hold an advantage at RB, where they have Warrick Dunn to Wst Coast's Willie Parker. Warrick could be feasting on Detroits D during Thanksgiving day.

Cooney Quest (3-8-0) vs Beckham Pwns All (6-5-0)
Neither team has much going at QB. Warner for Beckham is likely to throw as many picks as TD's vs Jax, while Brad Johnson has to lead Minnesota's inept offense for the Quest. Cooney has the advantage at WR, with Stokley, Keenan McCardell, and Corey Bradford. Beckham could get solid play from Jimmy Smith vs a weak Arizona secondary. Beckham makes the curious decision of leaving one of his RB slots empty, crippling him. Tiki Barber is better than Thomas Jones, and Ronnie Brown of the Quest, but one on two is not pretty. This could be the difference in the matchup.

Playoff Analysis: Pre-Week XII
 

I guess that means pregame for the FIRST Robotics League falls to me. I'll have that up by the first game today.
z= Mathematically Eliminated

Playoff Picture: We've got three weeks left, and it's fair to say that the top 13 teams are still well in this, and even everyone save the bottom 2 still have a shot, no matter how slim. Keep in mind that none of this includes fantasy scores quite yet. And I'll go out on a limb and say that unless noted, a tie may as well be a loss this late.

• Nor Cal and Force will clinch with either one win, or a loss from two of the 6-5 bracket (Thrust, X-Cats, WCS, Tacoites, and Cooney). Two losses from both the Klowns and YAH will also do it.
• Rhode Island will clinch with two wins, a win and a loss from two of the 6-5 bracket (Thrust, X-Cats, WCS, Tacoites, and Cooney), two losses from two of that 6-5 bracket, or if the Klowns and YAH both lose out.
• Klowns and YAH will clich if they win out, if two of the 6-5 teams (Thrust, X-Cats, WCS, Tacoites, and Cooney) lose out, or a bunch of other mathematics I won't get into right now.
• Thrust, X-Cats, WCS, Tacoites, and Cooney are straddling that playoff border, where it's possible to win out and not make it (3 spots, 5 teams). But the fun part of that is they could possibly lose out and make it if the right things happen (which BTW, never happen :p).
• ADI gets special mention because they're only out of the 6-5 bracket by half a game. They could make the playoffs on just a tie, but chances are, they're going to want to win at least two.
• Dunedain and the Empire need to win at least a game to avoid direct elimination.
• IWCY and the Canes need at least a win and a tie to avoid direct elimination (that means two losses will mathematically eliminate them).
• Kittens and Monkeys need to win two games to avoid direct elimination (two losses will mathematically eliminate them, and a tie may as well be a loss)
• I think it's fair to say that the Goats need to win out to stay alive (though amazingly, they can still afford a tie).
• And finally, both the Bobcats and Elite are eliminated.

Lets see if the schedule helps us any:

• The first thing that comes to my mind is whether there are any games between the teams of that 6-5 bracket. Sadly, only two: Thrust/Cooney, and Thrust/WCS. Great for Thrust if they can win both (not to mention Nor Cal and Force, who will chinch if this happens), bad for the other teams. Also of note is that if either of these games tie, Nor Cal and Force automatically clinch (the whole "tie may as well be a loss" thing).
• YAH has three teams who are itching to get them out of the playoffs. Dunedain is the last match where they may have even a slight advantage. The last two weeks are Rhode Island and Nor Cal. Though I will repent if they manage to win out, as a playoff spot is guaranteed in that sitch.
• Those poor Monkeys... Even if they win out, there is still a possibility to miss the playoffs. Even worse, winning out means getting past Nor Cal, Rhode Island, and the X-Cats.
• Cooney has Thrust, Force, and Dunedain on their schedule. That's three games that can make or break their destiny.
• Another team with three games that can make or break their destiny, Dunedain has YAH, IWCY, and Cooney.
• X-Cats are the only 6-5 team with no game that can directly effect their position (Empire, ADI, and Monkeys). Yes, winning these games is important, but in no way shape or form, guarantees them a playoff spot. On the flip side, losing out prettymuch guarantees that they'll be out.
• You know, I can't say I hate WCS's chances. I said in the mid-season analysis that their easy schedule could be their ticket if they exploit weaknesses. Well, they have both the Bobcats and Canes on their schedule. Quite possibly the easiest schedule of any team left. Either that, or the Klowns with Elite and Goats left. Both teams look like they will make it.
• Force have an opportunity to play serious spoiler with both Cooney and Thrust the last two weeks.
• Tacoites/ADI in Week 14 could be an extremely vital game if they're still both vying for playoff spots at that time.
• I'm also keeping my eye on Thrust/Force in Week 14. If Thrust have won both their previous games, this has potential to be an excellent matchup (especially since due to this, the Force will have clinched).
• There is still a heck of a battle for the #1 seed award. While technically anyone in the top 10 can still claim it, realistically, the top 3 are the ones who are going to be fighting for it. Nor Cal and Rhode Island both have similarly easy schedules (Force has two serious playoff threats and a team more than capable of pulling an upset), so with the game lead and monstrous fantasy score, even my biased money has to bet on Nor Cal. Rhode Island's best chance is to win out and hope the Crushers lose two.

IOW, no, the schedule only muddles thing up further. Very few games will directly impact the playoffs. But that means we're more likely to have upsets and a few playoff teams we didn't expect (C'mon, Scapegoats!). I'll be back with the Week XII pregame in a few.

Week XII Pregame Analysis
 

Well this'll be a first...

z= Mathematically Eliminated

Rhode Island Voltaic (8-3) vs. Coco's Monkeys (4-7)
The Monkeys have both a QB and an RB that are both extremely questionable, and even if they play, they may not be able to score big. While RI's Manning may not be his greatest against Pittsburgh, Dunn is going to run all over the Lions on Thursday, and the Tampa/Chicago game will be very low scoring, more to RI's favor.

Koko's X-Cats (5-4-2) vs. Jc's Evil Empire (5-6)
Collins and Jordan are going to destroy Miami. That's instant points for the X-Cats. The Empire's best chance is if Bledsoe pwns at home against Denver later today.

Nor Cal Crushers (9-2) vs. Akshar Did It (5-5-1)
The Crushers may be playing without a defense this week. What does that mean? Well if Steve Smith and Brian Westbrook run over their respective opponents (which is quite probable), absolutely nothing. But if that doesn't happen, then the door is open to ADI with Brunell, Perry, Vinatieri, and a healthy defense.

Feisty Klowns (7-4) vs. The Tacoites (6-5)
This should be a pretty good game. While it's my opinion that Edgerrin James isn't going to get much against the run defense of Pittsburgh, Carson palmer and the Cincinnati DEF are going to rack up some pretty good points against Baltimore for the Klowns. Meanwhile, The Tacoites have Brady against a holey KC defense, and Carson Plamer's favorite target, Chad Johnson. Eddie's official pick for game of the week.

sigmakittens (4-7) vs. Stevies Scapegoats (3-7-1)
The Scapegoats are relying on a secondary QB (McMahon), a rookie RB who's still a bit inconsistant (Gado) and no kicker. Even just a few points each from Delhomme, Martin, Horn, and Glenn will give this game to the Kittens.

hurricanes (4-6-1) vs. QC Elite (2-9)
The Canes have lost McNabb for the season, and have to get by with JP Lossman. The Elite have Trent Dilfer: inconsistant, but at least capable of a decent score. IMO, what this game will come down to is defense, and the Canes have the advantage there.

west coast style (6-5) vs. Pelan's Bobcats (2-9)
I'll say it now: the Bobcats are not a bad team. It just took them 10 weeks to finally come together. That being said, their game will rely on whether Green and Alexander can get past their respective opponent's defenses. WCS is a bit iffy with Harrison this week, but have both Leftwich and the Jacksonville DEF against Arizona. If the Bobcats can't perform, that's all WCS will need.

Dunedain (5-6) vs. Your Ad Here (7-4)
I still have YAH missing the playoffs. Why? Well for starters, their aces (McNair, Moore, and Moss) are all playing hurt (McNair may not even play, and even if he does, you know how bad he can be if playing while injured). Second: Dunedain is playing healthy. Brees and Barber may be all they need. But if that doesn't happen, the most important thing in this game will be defense and which team's defense is less of a letdown.

FIRSTforce (9-2) vs. IwillCrushYou (4-6-1)
We know that IWCY is more than capable of pulling off this upset. Hasselbeck, Larry Johnson, and Portis are all capable of big points. But opposing them is FIRSTforce and their defense. While I pity their usage of Harrington, Mike Anderson and Rudi Johnson will keep this a close game.

Team THRUST (6-5) vs. Cooney Quest (6-5)
Green Bay has the demoralized Philly this week. Great for Cooney. Meanwhile, Thrust has to hope Eli Manning can play well in Seattle and their defense doesn't falter. This one is an exciting game, if only for the implications it'll have on the playoff race.

I don't know how Ed does this twice a week; it's not as easy as it looks. At least for my postgames, I already have data to work with. These pregames rely on pure knowledge and the occasional psychic powers (yes, my head hurts). I will admit though that this was a fun variation on my normal routine. The playoff race is only just beginning too. I'll have that covered in my next postgame analysis. Until then, have a fun, safe, and gluttonous holiday weekend.

Re: Week XII Pregame Analysis
 

I was thinking the same thing. It was fun, and relatively easy, but it took FOREVER.

Re: Week XII Pregame Analysis
 

The mind boogles. ;)

Week XII Postgame Analysis
 

Let’s see how well I did:

Rhode Island Voltaic (8-3) d. Coco's Monkeys (4-7)
68-28
“The Monkeys have both a QB and an RB that are both extremely questionable, and even if they play, they may not be able to score big.” Garcia scored only 4, and Dillon didn’t play. It’s an advantage you don’t want to give the Voltaic. Even more unfortunate for the Monkeys is the fact that their only score which topped their QB was B.J. Sams with 8. While Peyton Manning still put up a respectable 10 for Rhode Island, the real game winners were Santana Moss’s 9 and Dante Hall’s 15. Rhode Island easily punches their ticket to the playoffs.

Jc's Evil Empire (5-6) d. Koko's X-Cats (5-4-2)
88-53
“Collins and Jordan are going to destroy Miami. That's instant points for the X-Cats.” Jordan, yes, with 18. Collins, not so much. The rest of the game was all Empire. Bledsoe indeed pwned on Thursday with 13, Crumpler destroyed the Lions with 18, Steven Jackson had 15, and Vanderjagt kicked for 14. It’s what puts both teams at .500.

Nor Cal Crushers (9-2) d. Akshar Did It (5-5-1)
74-53
Tomlinson with 28, Westbrook with 13, and two 9s from the K and DEF are really all I need to say about the Crushers this week. Actually, that’s all I can say about them. Though it’s not like they really needed anything else. ADI showed up with a nice offensive conglomerate led by Houshmandzadeh’s 11, but they forgot to pack a defense. Nor Cal becomes the second team to clinch a playoff spot.

The Tacoites (6-5) d. Feisty Klowns (7-4)
72-59
As a testament to how screwed up this game was, The Tacoites had both Brady and Feely (arguably the two most renowned flops of the week), and still managed to hold their lead through Monday. Though to be perfectly fair, all the Klowns really had this week was Palmer’s 19 and Minnesota’s 18. Other than those two aforementioned flops and an RB who shall remain nameless, The Tacoites were loaded with points. Shockey’s semi-controversial TD put him at 16, Andre Johnson put up 13, Chad Johnson was again Carson Palmer’s favorite target with 10, and the defense combined for 30. The score looked closer than it actually was, and both teams stand at 7-5.

Stevies Scapegoats (3-7-1) d. sigmakittens (4-7)
53-50
I think props go out to the Goats defense, which carried this game for them. That’s Atlanta’s 16, Demorrio Williams’s 11, and Antonio Pierce’s 7. Combined, it equals 34 (and I’ll be nice and give props to Gado’s 8 too). Lawrence Tynes’s 14 for the Kittens was their only noticeable score, and it meant a fourth straight loss.

hurricanes (4-6-1) d. QC Elite (2-9)
34-18
I can only find one decent thing about this game: Ryan Lindell’s 10 for the Canes. What else can I say when twelve teams could beat this entire game. Four of those twelve teams also lost their games. Of course, eight of those twelve teams won their games. And if you think I’m only saying this to increase my paragraph length, you’re absolutely right. This is being done to lengthen this paragraph. A few more seconds… and we’re done. Okay, I take that back, we’re not done. The best thing about this game, plain and simple, is that the Hurricanes are able to hold on to what little playoff chance they may have. That’s gotta be worth something. Now we’re done. I think.

Pelan's Bobcats (2-9) d. west coast style (6-5)
60-57
“…their [the Bobcats’] game will rely on whether Green and Alexander can get past their respective opponent's defenses.” They combined for 20. Good start. The majority of the remaining points would come from Jason Taylor and his amazing 22. “WCS is a bit iffy with Harrison this week…” He had 12. So much for that. “…but have both Leftwich and the Jacksonville DEF against Arizona. If the Bobcats can't perform, that's all WCS will need.” Jacksonville managed to yank in 12, but Leftwich got injured early and came out with a big donut. I think I can safely say that that piece of bad luck cost WCS.

Your Ad Here (7-4) d. Dunedain (5-6)
63-35
Dunedain, simply put, Dunedained this week (YES! I can use that term again! W00t!). Literally no defense beyond Quarles’s 10, and a low-scoring offense left this one wide open for YAH. And hey, for the second week in a row, YAH actually looked like the playoff caliber team it’s striving to be (though I still use the word “striving” lightly). With actual defensive scoring (a combined 25), and their leader McNair actually leading with 15, YAH actually helped themselves in the playoff race.

IwillCrushYou (4-6-1) d. FIRSTforce (9-2)
51-46
“We know that IWCY is more than capable of pulling off this upset.” Well, if you’re actually paying attention, you’ll realize that it did indeed happen. “Hasselbeck, Larry Johnson, and Portis are all capable of big points.” They combined for 25. “But opposing them is FIRSTforce and their defense.” A combined 26 there. “While I pity their usage of Harrington…” He had -1. “…Mike Anderson and Rudi Johnson will keep this a close game.” They combined for 15 (okay, so I’m cheating that one slightly with Johnson’s terrible game). Close, but not close enough. After all that though, FIRSTforce still claims a playoff spot, IWCY furthers their playoff plans, and Eddie claims a psychic point :p.

Team THRUST (6-5) d. Cooney Quest (6-5)
75-35
Yeah, so the Green Bay dependency didn’t quite go as Cooney planned. They combined for 9 this week. And the rest of the Quest followed suit. Meanwhile, Team THRUST just had to breathe on their opponent. For them, Eli Manning’s 15, Ricky Williams’ 10, and Torry Holt’s 12 would be more than enough.
x=Clinched Playoff Birth
z=Mathematically Eliminated

<EDIT>I'll explain the Kittens and Monkeys being out in the next section.</EDIT>

So after all is said and done, that's Eddie with one psychic point, and Ed with, well, somewhere near a couple bazillion... We now return you to your regularly scheduled pregame show. :D

I'll have the playoff picture up later. I'd like at least an hour of sleep. ;)

Pre-Week XIII Playoff Analysis
 

After an hour of sleep, we're back! :D
x=Clinched Playoff Birth
z=Mathematically Eliminated

Playoff Picture: Looks like we've got three teams in the playoffs (WCS, the X-Cats, and Cooney all loosing helped that greatly). The top 15 teams are well in this race, and even the sixteenth place Scapegoats can still make it. And keep in mind that I'm not including fantasy points quite yet (unless noted), and a tie may as well be a loss, even for that 5-6-1 bracket. Here's the simple stuff.

• Nor Cal, Force, and Rhode Island have all guaranteed themselves a playoff spot.
• YAH will clinch with one win, a tie, or a loss from three of the .500 bracket (WCS, X-Cats, Empire, and Cooney). And yet, I still have them missing out...
• Thrust, Klowns, and Tacoites will clinch if they win out, or if they win one game and three of that .500 bracket (WCS, X-Cats, Empire, and Cooney) get one loss.
• The border-straddlers this week are WCS, X-Cats, Empire, and Quest. There is a clinching possibility available among them though, and that's if one of them wins out, and the other three lose out. The schedule allows this.
• The 5-6-1 bracket (IWCY, ADI, and Hurricanes) is an extemely interesting group. My "tie may as well be a loss" thing from up top still applies to them because in that situation, it'll put them even with the current .500 bracket, which is probably not the best place to be right now. But that extra half-win they have means they all can possibly overtake the 7-5 bracket with a win out.
• Dunedain sits alone at 5-7. Due to scheduling, they cannot afford a loss. They can afford a tie and not be directly eliminated, but I wouldn't recomend it (especially since it'd require two other games to tie).
• The Scapegoats still have a small shot at the playoffs if they win out. But now, a tie or a loss will eliminate them, as well as a single win from the .500 bracket.
• The Kittens and Monkeys are out due to a couple games in the schedule. I'll get to that in the next section. All I'm going to say is that it would've been nice to know earlier this morning...
• And despite the Bobcats' recent surge, both them and the Elite are still eliminated.

Now we get to peer into the Magic 8-Ball and see what the schedule does for us.

• None of the .500 teams face off. None of the 5.5-6.5 (decimals in there for easier math) teams face off. However, there's WCS/Canes this week, and X-Cats/ADI next week. Even if only one of these games happened, it'd still be what eliminates the Kittens and Monkeys, and forces Dunedain to win out. It also took me two hours and a pot of roasted garlic potatos to get the math 100% on this. Note to self: a tie gives both teams involved half a win. Would've saved me a lot of time and stomach space had I remembered that to begin with...
• Speaking of WCS/Canes and X-Cats/ADI, the winner of these are in excellent position for a playoff spot.
• The Tacoites have the Empire this week and ADI next week. All three teams' fates could be decided with these two games.
• Thrust has Force and WCS. The win against WCS may have to do, as the game against Force could go either way.
• YAH still has Rhode Island and Nor Cal. While neither of YAH's opponents have nothing to worry about if they lose, these are going to be two tough games. Luckily for YAH, they only have to win one of them. Still, it's these two games plus the low fantasy score that still have me thinking YAH is going to miss the playoffs.
• ADI has the X-Cats and Tacoites. Talk about dirctly helping themselves if they can win both...
• Dunedain nedds to win out and have some luck with the teams above them. Interestingly enough, with IWCY and Cooney on their schedule, winning out will also provide some of that luck.
• Six teams got left at the wayside in the battle for the #1 seed award. While the top four are mathematically in that race, realistically, only the top three have a chance. For Force and Rhode Island, their best chance will be if Nor Cal somehow loses out, and if they win out. Because it's my opinion that neither one can outdo Nor Cal in fantasy points. But even with massive gains in fantasy points for Rhode Island or Force, Nor Cal would still clinch it by winning out.

Again, there's still relatively few games that directly impact who makes the playoffs. But like last week, that just means more opportunities for upsets. And the way things have been going this season, anything is certainly possible. See you next week when the amount of math I have to do shrinks massively. ;)

Re: 2006 FIRST Fantasy Football
 

FIRST Fantasy Football Plus League

Cromer Angry Smash!Nor Cal CrushersTomahawksJc's Evil EmpireWBI-461Beckham Pwns All Stevies ScapegoatsKoko's X-CatsFiesty ClownsTolmansigmakittensMechanicatzwst Coast StylePelan's BobcatsCooney QuestDogs in the Bathtub

Nor Cal Crushers (9-3-0) 150.07 Pelans Bobcats (3-9-0) 88.91
Both NorCal (Carson Palmer) and Pelan (Tom Brady) have very good QB's playing weak defenses. The Crushers have Steve Smith, Isaac Bruce, and Joe Horn at WR, while the Bobcats will rely on Chambers, Lee Evans, and Roy Williams. Steve Smith will go off as usual, while Horn and Bruce are hit and miss. Roy Williams could run wild behind Atlanta's secondary on thanksgiving day. At RB the Crushers have Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander, a formidable combination. The Bobcats have a questionable Corey Dillon, and Rudi Johnson facing a week Baltimore defense. Both teams have their defenses facing tough offenses--expect this one to be an offensive battle.
The top scoring team in the league continues to lay the beatdown to (st) of their opponents. It was settled early as Carson Palmer outscored Tom Brady 40 to 18.27 and the Bobcats never recovered. All you need to know about the Bobcat's chances was their insistance on playing two inactive players thus dooming themselves to geting destroyed.

Tolman (4-8-0)170.02 JC's Evil Empire (8-4-0) 141.76
JC is forced to rely on a very shaky Mike McMahon vs the Packers, compared to Eli Manning vs Seattle for Tolman. It could be over right here, if Eli goes off. At wideout, JC has a solid trio of Kevin Curtis, Deion Branch, and Rod Smith. All have fairly favorable matchups. Tolman has Dallas' two top WR's in Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson, who face a tough Denver D, and the red hot Joey Galloway, facing the very tough Bears. At RB, JC looks to have the clear advantage with super stud LT and Brian Westbrook. His key to success will be lots of points from these two. Tolman has Clinton Portis vs the very stingy SD defense, and the horribly ineffective Jamal Lewis vs the Bengals. This matchup also features two of the leagues premier TE's, in Gonzalez(JC) and Crumpler (Tolman). Look for Gonzo to be KC's main target through the air against a very suspect NE secondary. Cincy could put up some big points on D against the inept Ravens, for Tolman. JC shouldn't count on much out of Detroit.
The Evil Empire switched Mike McMahon for Ben Roethlisberger and got a few more points out of the switch but not enough to dent Eli Manning's advantage from scoring 38.97 to Roethlisberger's 16.33 points. While the Evil Empire's running backs crushed Tolman's backs 51.93 to 26.26. Tolman ran away with the recivers game 55.79 to 28.49 and the defensive game 37 to 21.

Tomahawks (9-3-0) 130.27 Koko's X-Cats (6-6-0) 112.23
Koko has gone with mediocre Steve McNair, albeit against a very soft D in the niners. Tomhawks went the opposite direction, with the league's best QB, though vs a strong Pitt D. At WR, Tomahawks looks to have the advantage with Plaxico Burress vs the Seahawks, and Muhsin Muhhammed vs TB. Koko will turn to the disappointing Michael Clayton, who has done nothing all year, and Derrick Mason vs the Bengals. Neither team appears very strong at RB, with Tomahawks using rookie Samkon Gado, who has a case of the fumbles, and Patrick Pass of the Pats. Gado could see split touches with Tony Fisher, reducing his value, while Pass is currently a gametime decision and may not play. Koko looks to Willis McGahee vs Carolina and Julius Jones vs Denver to pick up the slack on his end. Normally these two would be fantastic options, but McGahee is playing a tenacious Carolina D, and Julius will be splitting carries vs a tough Denver D. Tomahawks also has a clear advantage at TE, with superstar Antonio Gates and Jason Witten. Gates may not play, but if he does, he should be good. Koko will hope Big Ben's return to play helps get rookie TE Heath Miller back into the endzone vs Indy.
I wouldn't exactly call McNair mediocre (more like undermanned). He outscored Manning 38.93 to 25.67. Unfortunately for the X-Cats their backs were outscored 21.73 to 10.3 and the recivers were outscored 34.87 to 26.5.

Feisty Klowns (6-6-0) 99.87 Sigmakittens (4-8-0)98.73
The Sigmakittens look for Trent Green to feast on the depleted NE secondary, while the Klowns have chosen to play Chris Simms vs Chicago. Hopefully the Klowns weren't expecting much. By the end of the day, he may have been better off not playing a QB. The kittens have a pedestrian trio of WR's. Andre Johnson has the potential for a big game vs St Louis, but we haven't seen much from him this year. The Klowns have Donald Driver, Eddie Kennison, and Joe Jurevicius. Driver and Jurevicius have been solid this year, and should continue to be, though Jurevicius may see fewer looks with the return of Darrell Jackson to Seattle's offense. At RB, the kittens have the hot as of late Reuben Droughns, and Cardinals rookie JJ Arrington. Droughns could put up big numbers vs a bad Minnesota D, while Arrington will be smothered by Jacksonville. The Klowns will rely on the hit and miss Kevin Jones and Mewelde Moore. Either one could have a big day, or do nothing. If the Klowns don't get anything out of their QB, they're toast.
As close as it can get. To be blunt if it wasn't for Byron Leftwich's injury the kitties would have won. Simms wasn't great but he scored 16.47 points significantly more than the 1.60 points Leftwich had before he went out. It also didn't help that Brian Finneran put up a big fat zero as well The Klowns got 26.13 points from Joe Jurevicius and 10.47 from Erron Kinney and that was all the double digit contributions from their roster thus leaving the door open for the kitties who fought hard with ANdre Johnson's 22.60 points, the Carolina Panthers 21 points and Reuben Droughns 12.43 points made it close but they came up just short.

Cromer Angry Smash (12-0-0) 111.91 WBI-461 (8-4-0)105.51
Matchup of the week right here, folks. Both teams compare well across the board. WBI looks to Kerry Collins to unload vs Miami. Cromer has Favre vs Philly. Slight advantage goes to Cromer, as Oakland will be looking to establish the run. Both teams are stacked at WR. WBI has hot Jerry Porter, Anquan Boldin, and Ernest Wilford. Porter and Boldin will likely put up good to great numbers. Cromer has Larry Fitzgerald, Santana Moss, and Antonio Bryant. All look to be solid. This matchup looks like it'll come down to who Jax shuts down--Larry, or Anquan. At RB, WBI has solid options in Steven Jackson vs a horrible Houston D, and Curtis Martin vs a so so NO D. Cromer may have a slight edge with super star Edgerrin James, and Mike Alstott, but James has a very tough matchup, and Alstott looks to get limited touches. Whichever team pulls away at RB will likely get the win. Cromer has the advantage on D, with Jacksonville facing Arizona. However, Arizona may be able to burn them anyway with their fearsome WR combo. WBI is relying on a not so great Cleveland D, but since they're playing Minnesota, it may not matter. I like Cromer by 10
The Smash were nearly done in by poor performances from many of their players on their roster, especially kicker Joe Nedney who gave nothing to the Smash , Steven Davis who got shut down by Buffalo and Brett Farve who underperformed tremendously. Thank God for Jeremy Shockey, London FLetcher and the Jacksonville Jaguars defense who took up the slack scoring 21.47, 14.00 and 13 points respectively. If WBI-461 got a better performace from Kerry Collins they would have won.

Mechanicatz (4-8-0) 121.45 Dogs in the Bathtub (2-10-0)103.44
Both teams are all but eliminated from the playoffs, and playing for pride from here on out. That said, Mechanicatz will play Drew Bledsoe at QB vs a tough Denver defense. Dogs will play Mike Vick vs Detroit at home on Thanksgiving day. Vick looks to be the clear favorite here, though neither may put up a lot of points. Mechanicatz turns to a solid WR corps, if healthy, of Randy Moss, Troy Brown, and Hines Ward. Moss has been battling injury and been so-so lately. If he and Hines take off this week, they could prove to be the difference. Dogs looks to backups Mike Williams, Greg Lewis, and his one solid option in TJ Houshmanzadeh. At RB, both teams are about equal. Catz is relying on rookie Cadillac Williams, who faces an extremely tough Chicago D, and backup Derrick Blaylock, who doesn't figure to see many touches vs NO. Dogs will be hoping Kevan Barlow of the niners can pull something out vs Tenn, and rookie Brandon Jacobs of the Giants will get some goalline touches for a short TD. Both teams have excellent kickers, with Jason Elam for the Catz, and Neil Rackers for Dogs. The Catz have a clear advantage on D, with Atlanta facing Detroit, vs the Dogs' KC facing New England.
The Dogs got 24.67 from Micheal Vick, 18 points from the Kansas City CHiefs defense and 11.80 points from Kevan Barlow and their typical little else from the rest of their roster. The Mechicatz aren't exactly ready to challange the Smash for the league championship but they got better production from their big scorers. Drew Blesoe got 36.37, Atlanta Falcons scored 25 points and Shelton Quarles scored 10.5 points.

Wst Coast Style (4-8-0)120.41 Stevie's Scapegoats (6-6-0)103.93
Stevie features an average as of late Jake Delhomme, while Wst Coast uses bottom feeder David Carr. The Scapegoats have a huge advantage at WR with Marvin Harrison and Chad Johnson, as well as rookie Matt Jones. All could put up above average numbers. Wst Coast is using Travis Taylor of the Vikings, and some guy I've never even heard of on the Rams. Neither look to bag many points for the struggling Wst Coast. The Scapegoats also hold an advantage at RB, where they have Warrick Dunn to Wst Coast's Willie Parker. Warrick could be feasting on Detroits D during Thanksgiving day.
Who knew that David Carr had a 40.87 game in him (with tha tsorry line of his)? Who knew Jake Delohme was going to regress so much to a 22.30 point total? That was the begging of the end for the Scapegoats. Their recivers outscored wst Coast Styles recivers 35.27 to 18.97. The running backs outscored wst Coast Styles backs 9.36 to 6.07 and the defense game was theirs 54.5 to 33. They just couldn't overcome the QB defecit.

Beckham Pwns All (7-5-0) 139.64 Cooney Quest (3-9-0) 103.57
Neither team has much going at QB. Warner for Beckham is likely to throw as many picks as TD's vs Jax, while Brad Johnson has to lead Minnesota's inept offense for the Quest. Cooney has the advantage at WR, with Stokley, Keenan McCardell, and Corey Bradford. Beckham could get solid play from Jimmy Smith vs a weak Arizona secondary. Beckham makes the curious decision of leaving one of his RB slots empty, crippling him. Tiki Barber is better than Thomas Jones, and Ronnie Brown of the Quest, but one on two is not pretty. This could be the difference in the matchup.
Beckham pulls another fast one by doing a last second roster change and getting CHris Brown in and their backs produced 31.87 to the Quests 22.03. A strong reciever game also bolstered their effort 35.94 to 22.72 to seal the deal.