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This week we head into the second go-around match-ups. The playoff "push" is on, despite there being a 5-way tie for fourth place with all teams below .500. So what are some of the big questions facing each club as they prepare for a run at or run through the post season?

Madd Skillz: 8-1.

Is Priest Homes done for the year?
If so, Larry Johnson's value has shot through the roof. Edwin looks very smart for holding onto Johnson despite early season trade offers when it appeared Johnson was around to, at best, share a carry or two when the godly Priest needed a rest.

Will Fred Taylor disintegrate?
Taylor according to his flaming yellow piece of paper says, "his availability...is up in the air at this point." That's pretty much how it always is with Taylor. Starting Fred in the playoffs and have him leave the field after a strong gust of wind causes him mild drying of the eyes could topple this mighty ball club.

Can Rudi Johnson find the end zone?
Rudi has the yardage to be a lead running back on any fantasy squad. But, he's only scored 3 times all season. Yards are great for a flex back, but TDs are needed from starting RBs.

When will the incorrect answers for Edwin's guess the owner game be posted?
Hopefully they will before new posts push it into the archives.

Cellar Dwellers: 8-1

What is going on with Kevin Jones?
One of last year's break out superstars has been one of this year's disappointments. Jones had over 1,100 yards last year, and this year he hasn't even made it to 400. I personally blame Jeff Garcia and Detroit security for allowing him near a field (I love Brushback.com), but if CD is going to advance in the postseason, they will need more than 3.0 yards per carry from their RB-3.

Can this team stay healthy?
Stem's squad is not particularly deep at any position except quarterback. They carry only 3 running backs and an injury to any one of them could be crushing. Randy McMichael has no replacement at TE. The team has four solid WR, but with Issac Bruce returning from injury, Shaun McDonanld, the team's top reserve, is at best a third option with the now-running-the-football St. Louis Rams. A couple of highly touted, but oft injured, and Joey-Jeff plagued WRs round out the Cellar Dwellers bench.

Can he avoid Eli's voodoo doll?
Sure Sex Panther has 40 more points and 4 fewer wins, causing the Gun to battle fits of depression, apathy, and intense anger. But hey, Cellar Dwellers was buried to the bottom of the standings all of last year and a little luck in matchups is certainly not undue.


Blaine Browns: 5-4

What the hell is one to do with Terrell Owens?
This question could be answered before I even post this as I have some ideas, but none of them am I really super crazy about. Despite suffereing from Curt Schilling sucktitude, Owens was the second best reciever in the NFL. All of a sudden he's done for the year and BB's lock for WR-1 is now empty. Does he get moved to help BB now, or is held onto until next year when he shall go back to being a number maker?

Past Terrell, what about the rest of the wide outs?
The running back situation has been solidified since week 1 (except week 8 when, if you missed it, I was without my three starting running backs), and it's the wide receiver position that has been ever changing. I stupidly, stupidly, stupidly released Santana Moss early on because I didn't want to drop my second overall pick and now free agent Drew Bennett. So instead of having Owens, Moss, and Donald Driver the regular trio, the WR position is now a hodgepodge of Driver, TJ Housmanihatejr, Keenan McCardell, Eddie "2 catches in 2 weeks" Kennison, and Reggie Brown. Sure it's not dire straights, but it's a significant step down from what it could have been.

Can the Blaine Browns survive the schedule?
Of BB's final 5 games, 4 of them are against the top 4 scoring teams in the league. BB has won the games he was supposed to, now it's time to win some tough ones.


Sex Panther: 4-5

Which Carnell Williams will play the rest of the way?
Early on, Cadillac was the best running back in the league and an obvious keeper. Injuries have since relegated him to Michael Pittman's equal, and quite frankly, that's no good...so says Stephen A. Williams's flaming piece of paper points out "Williams averaged 4.9 yards per carry over his first three games this season, but after suffering the foot injury, he posted just 1.8 yards per rush." Vroom vroom!

Will the St. Louis Rams be good?
As Steve Rhodes' team goes, so Eli Gieryna's team goes. A not particularly diversified team, SP could find themselves making an early exit in the playoffs if the Rams come across a tough defense. And yes, I think the Gun makes the playoffs despite their recent troubles. Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Stephen Jackson are the key to this team, but the fact that Sex Panther put up 100 points without them shows how deadly SP can be.

Will JR Radcliffe do it again?
The 2005's miraculous and amazing conclusion will likely never be duplicated. But through 9 games, The Octagon and Sex Panther have exactly the same record. Can Radcliffe pull it off? The answer is no, but it sure would be something he did. Side note: Bertrand Berry is done for the year after suffering a pectoral injury last week. I think it was Eli's voodoo doll.

Fred Lane's Wife: 4-5

Talk about Cadillac Williams, which Fred Lane's Wife is going to show up?
This team whalloped the competition scoring 154, 104, and 119. This same team also whimpered to scores of 62, 69, 67, and 71. A frightening squad when everyone is clicking, FLW is horribly inconsistent and that's not a good sign heading down a stretch when they must fight off 4 other teams with the exact same record for just one playoff spot.

Is the Pittsburgh backfield going to help out?
FLW owns the rights to two of the three Steeler running backs -- Jerome Bettis and "Waiver Wire" Willie Parker -- but neither one of them was the 100 yard rusher last week in Pittsburgh. That's two roster spots and one starting spot that's going to go to waste if Duce Staley continues to carry the load.

Peyton Manning is good, but can he be great?
Everyone who goes up against FLW hopes that Manning is simply good. Peyton is the best quarterback in the game right now, but when he throws for 250 and 1 TD, he's beatable in the fantasy world. When 2005's Manning appears, opponents see a 30.0 point performance that's difficult to come back from. Down the stretch, FLW is hoping they can count on more passing and less rushing.

The Octagon: 4-5

Will the recent moves be enough to get JR to the playoffs?
In this writer's opinion, I think JR has improved his team tremendously from where it was a few weeks ago. He turned two backups in Tony Fisher and Chester Taylor into a solid starter in Mike Anderson. Antowain Smith rushed for a 110 yards last week and all it cost him was a downgrade from Hines Ward to Jimmy Smith (and Chris Perry, eh). If Brian Westbrook can get focused with TO out of the picture, JR's wheeling and dealing may push him upward out of this 4-5 pack.

Can the 2005 disappointments turn it on?
Tony Gonzalez has been a one touchdown keeper. Trent Green has thrown for 8 fewer TDs than a guy The Octagon picked up off the waiver wire. Andre Johnson doesn't have 20 catches yet. If these three can offer anything, JR can either turn and trade them or actually play them to happy results. That Radcliffe is one win from a playoff spot with these three boo-boos (and JJ Arrington an ow-ey), shows just how well JR has GMed this band-aid squad.

Which team will Brett Farve throw to?
The Octagon's starting QB has 15 touchdowns (awesome!) and 14 interceptions (bummer!). It's understandable considering that JR Radcliffe himself has moved up from the practice squad to third stringer in Green Bay in light of the devestating injuries. Farve has no idea who is on his team and consequently who to throw to. Now that they are recruiting local high schoolers to run the football, the Packers will likely be throwing more than rushing from here on out.

ChamPeons: 4-5

Can the running backs be good enough to get by?
Julius Jones should be back starting this week, but with Marion Barber filling in so well while Jones was out, how short of a leash is Jones on? Mewelde Moore has a bad wrist, watched Michael Bennett put 100 on the Lions, and is the only player to admittedly be aboad Mindfreak Mike Tice's sex cruise. And well Shawn Bryson is starting for ChamPeons this week. Chris Brown is one of those Fred Taylor-esque fragile players that need to be in a bubble at all times to prevent injury. It's a delicate group of RBs, but just last week, Champ found himself in a playoff spot.

Can the pants pulling down Randy Moss come back?
Injuries have hampered Moss' season, but that's not to say he can't turn it up a notch down the stretch. 26 catches, 542 yards, and 4 TDs is a solid season for any WR, but Moss could have double those numbers if he were not slowed by his body. If Moss does play well, Ernest Wilford would not be getting a start this week for ChamPeons and I have to believe that Randy Moss over Ernest Wilford is a good thing.

Can Champ figure out the smacktalk feature?
Champ put the profound, tell-all comment of "IOWA" in week one into his smacktalk. Since then, this message has been stagnant. A team in need of a boost could just as easily insult JR with this feature and the team would respond with extra effort.

Big Fat Guys: 4-5

Can the team continue to build for next year and compete this year all at once?
For an expansion team to be one win out of a playoff spot 9 weeks into this season is ludicrious. Baron has done an excellent job forming a fantasy team, making it competitive, and managing to keep an eye to next year. Deuce McCallister and Ahman Green are on the roster solely for the purpose of keeper-ship, but will that hurt Brendel down the stretch when he may need to make a move or two?

How about those Vikings?
Brad Johnson is not a bad quarterback. With him throwing to Nate Burleson and Travis Taylor, BFG could find themselves with double touchdowns this week. Granted, Carson Palmer is the QB here, but I think BFG may have found himself a very solid backup. Plus, Burleson is bound to benefit from Johnson starting in Minnesota and may finally break out of his half season slump.

Can those backup RBs crack their real life starting line ups?
Brendel has done a solid job of acquiring the best back up runners in the league. Dominic Rhodes would be a top RB should Edgerring James go down. Marion Barber has already had strong performances in Julius Jones' absence. DeShaun Foster is waiting for Stephen Davis' leg to break. Jonathan Wells pushed BFGs to victory last week and would do so again should Domanick Davis miss significant time. Any one one of these backs will be a hot commodity should their real life starter come up lame.

Father Abraham: 3-6

Can the team rebound from a 5 game losing streak?
So things don't look great in Lincoln's camp at the moment. But looking at those 5 losses, 4 of them were to the top 4 teams in the league and the other a single digit loss to a hot BFG team. The combined record of the teams he will face the next four weeks is 13-23. Should FA turn it around against these opponents, he will continue to linger in playoff contention.

What to do with Jamal Lewis and Priest Holmes?
Two years ago, the answer would be sit on them and enjoy the two best running backs' numbers for the next decade. But what a difference just a season or two makes. Jamal Lewis is a changed man since returning from prison and perhaps while society-wise for the better, football-wise for the much much crappier. He's been terrible and this recent talk of it being a contract year and not wanting to hurt himself doesn't make much sense to me. No one is going to want him next year if he continues to stagger through a subpar season. Priest Holmes, on the other hand, is still good. His problem is a star running back pushing him out the door. Larry Johnson is the future in Kansas City and with Holmes' injury, the future is in question as to where Priest will play and at what level.

Can 2005's season ending trades be as critically acclaimed as 2004's?
Last year FA acquired Priest Holmes and Joe Horn once out of the playoff running. In turning a disappointing season into solid keepers, Souzek positioned himself for a strong 2005. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out for a variety of reasons. But, if history is any indicaction, just because Father Abraham is out of the playoff race (and he isn't yet) doesn't mean he's done playing the game.

Who Is Ron Mexico: 1-8

How can WIRM benefit from being the only team out of the race?
Despite the unenviable position of being the only team out of a push for the playoffs, the season still holds a critical stretch for LaTomke's franchise. As just mentioned, Father Abraham turned the last weeks of the season into his own personal player buffet making moves and adding keepers down the stretch despite being out of the playoffs. The only problem is that I'm not sure how many players WIRM has that are going to be desirable for playoff teams. Marginal players, though, could solidify benches and add to WIRM's draft board next year.

Which guys should be kept?
Eli Manning is the only no-brainer. Lil' Eli has put up strong stats and could be the foundation for WIRM next year. Chester Taylor is likely to be the Ravens' starting RB next year and if LaTomke could find a few more guys like him to lock up in '06, the RB would look better than the Lee Suggs, TJ Duckett, Ricky Williams three it currently boasts. And obviously, Brandon Lloyd is a keeper...

When will Troy Murphy crack the starting line up?
The guy has more 3's and defensive rebounds than anyone else on The Fan Punchers and yet he's riding the pine. Oh yeah, football. Maybe Troy can play running back for the Texans.