First Round Playoffs in Review

Gentlemen--before I get to the recap, I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Be sure to enjoy your holiday.
The first round of the VUFSA playoffs saw two incredibly close contests, which makes sense considering it featured the top four squads squaring off against each other. The total margin of victory in the two "championship" semifinals was 3.50. And in the hard luck world of fantasy football, Drew scored enough points to have beaten both contestants in the other semifinal, but sadly for him, he did not score enough points to beat Champ. In the "consolation" round, Baron outlasted Viano, while Tomke blew out JR and has to be left wondering what might have been.
Championship Bracket Phil Powell Rules 129.75-Die Mike Williams 129.00
A Monday night surge from Vernon Davis and Navarro Bowman gave PPR the 2-1 series win and sent my team to the final for the first time since 2008. DMW finished with seven players scoring double figures, compared to only five for PPR. Reggie Bush outscored Aaron Rodgers (23.50-23.25), but DMW also put up three scores of 0.50 or worse, including one from the Tampa wide receiver that necessitated the name change. DMW had five scores of 5.50 or worse, while PPR had five scores between 6.00 and 7.50. This was where a lot of the difference was made up. The tide also seemed to turn when the 49ers went ahead 13-3. Vernon Davis, who finished with 12.00, was knocked out of bounds at the one. If Frank Gore had gotten the carry on 1st and goal, DMW would still be Dexter McClusterfunk. Thankfully for PPR, Jim Harbaugh called Davis' number again and that score put PPR over the top. Calvin Johnson (26.50) was the top point-getter in this match-up. Aaron Hernandez stole a touchdown from Wes Welker (much to Drew's chagrin I'm sure), and Marshawn Lynch found the end zone again for the 10th week in a row. Bush, Lynch and Steven Jackson outscored Roy Helu, Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner 55.00-25.50. I think if you had told Eli that before the week started (and added that Cam Newton would only be 1.00 behind Rodgers, he would have to be feeling pretty good about how things would turn out).
PPR (10-5): Any discussion of this team begins and ends with Calvin Johnson. Megatron had tapered off the last few weeks after a scorching start to the season, but he came back in a big way on Sunday. He finished with nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He had three catches for 60-ish yards in the final 98-yard drive that most likely put the Lions into the playoffs for the first time since 2000. It was quite rare this season for a wide receiver to be the top-scorer in a match-up, and that's exactly what Johnson did this week. Rodgers (23.25) finished with 267 total yards and two scores. It was a relatively meh day for him, and you know you've had an MVP-type season when 23.25 is ordinary. Turner (13.00) was the only PPR running back to reach the end zone. Nate Washington (12.50) caught seven passes for 62 yards and a score, while Davis (12.00) finished with six grabs for 72 yards and a touchdown (and he finally was worth the 3rd round pick I traded to get him). Adrian Peterson returned to the lineup but only managed 6.00 (60 yards). Helu (6.50) was kept out of the end zone for the first time in three weeks, but he did finish with 67 yards of offense. MVP: Johnson. It has been so rare this year for anyone in this line up to put up more points than Rodgers, so Megatron's fantastic day lands him in this spot. LVP: Terrell Suggs. I normally hesitate to put defenders here, but Suggs has been good for at least 5.00 every week, and he only managed 1.00 against San Diego.
DMW (9-6): It's rough when you score 129.00 and feel like you left points out there still. In spite of the fact that most of his guys had really good days, there are a few changes that would have put Eli over the top. Surprisingly, even though Newton finished with two scores and 204 total yards (22.25), starting Tim Tebow (not that it was ever a serious consideration) would have put DMW over the top. Bush rushed for 203 yards and a score (but also had a costly fumble) to finish with 23.50. Lynch (17.00) has been awesome the last two months of the season, and he was again against the Bears, finding the end zone twice. Steven Jackson (14.50) had 143 total yards of offense. Again though, if Eli had started CJ Spiller (28.50) over these three, or Donald Brown (22.50) over the last two, he'd be in the championship match. Aaron Hernandez caught nine passes for 129 yards and a score (17.50). The problem for Eli came with his wide receivers. Dez Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald, Hakeem Nicks and Mike Williams combined for just one touchdown and 20.00. Williams (0.00) was targeted only one time and did not record a catch and will forever draw Eli's wrath. Matt Bryant (11.00) kicked two field goals and made five extra points. Andre Carter (0.00) did not register a tackle, and Von Miller only had one (0.50). I don't want to seem like I'm piling on (and not that he could have known any of this for he put his best lineup out there), but DMW's optimal lineup would have scored 159.25. I feel very, very fortunate to be moving on to the title game. MVP: Bush. He is having a resurgent season and may very well be trending into keeper territory. He has been one of the biggest surprises (I think anyway) of this fantasy season. LVP: Williams. See Eli's name change for further explanation.
ChamPeons 139.00-Pantry Cereals 136.25
Before the week started, Drew lamented that he had to go up against Brees while facing the Minnesota secondary. He could not have been more right. Brees put up 43.50 against the hapless Viking defense. LeSean McCoy also had a huge day for Champ. The two combined for 69.50, which might have been more than a few teams put up at one time or another this season. Drew had six guys reach 10.00+ (compared to four for Champ), but his top two (Tom Brady and Lance Moore) combined for 48.25. Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe and Jason Witten combined for 13.00, while Champ got 12.50 from Steve Smith by himself. PC carried a 5.25 lead into the Monday night game, but David Akers quickly made two first half field goals to erase the margin and give CP the win. PC had the better balance in this match-up, but CP had the better performances, and that was enough to squeak out the victory and give Champ a shot at his second football title.
CP (11-4): Brees tossed for 412 yards and five touchdowns (43.50). He could have scored more too, because he lost a fumble. This was one of the best quarterbacking performances of the season, and it could not have come at a better time for Champ. McCoy dominated the Jets with 102 yards rushing and three scores (26.00). When Philly's offense sputtered this year, McCoy was always picking up the slack and often looked like he was the only one who cared about being on the field. Smith caught five passes for 82 yards and a score. The newly acquired Beanie Wells had 62 total yards and a score (11.50). Brandon Marshall caught three passes for 84 yards and a score with a fumble lost (9.00), and Marques Colston had eight grabs for 91 yards (8.00). That was basically the extent of Champ's offense. Brees and McCoy accounted for 50 percent of his point total this week. MVP: Brees. A tremendous performance was needed from Brees, and he delivered in spectacular fashion. LVP: LeGarrette Blount. He finished with 21 yards rushing (2.00), and while his output was equal to that of Owen Daniels, Blount ends up here because more is expected of running backs than tight ends.
PC (8-7): Brady (29.75) tried his best to keep pace with Brees, but he only managed 320 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly though, none of those touchdowns went to Wes Welker (4.00). Welker was tackled at the one on one catch, and the touchdown on the next play went to Aaron Hernandez instead. Lance Moore (18.50) did his best to lessen the impact of Brees' spectacular numbers as he had 91 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Cedric Benson had 87 total yards and a score (13.50). Torrey Smith's (12.00) last-minute touchdown catch gave PC a chance to get the win. Ray Rice had 112 total yards but was kept out of the end zone and was mostly ineffective after the Ravens got down by more than two scores (11.50). Sebastian Janikowski had two long field goals and three extra points (10.00), but his 65-yarder to win the game was blocked. The struggles of Welker, Witten and Bowe have already been mentioned. Jason Pierre-Paul had 16 tackles and a sack (9.75). Again, I hate to say what might have been (for it cannot be anticipated that things would have turned out the way they did), but if Drew had started Brent Celek (15.50) instead of Witten or Toby Gerhart (17.00) instead of Ryan Grant, he would have gotten the win. MVP: Brady. It was a really good day for Tom Terrific, Drew just needed it to be a little bit better. LVP: Welker. Four catches for 41 yards is not enough (4.00). I know Denver's defense is good, but Drew needed more from him.
Consolation Bracket Waiting for Goodell 102.50-Let My Monkeys Go 95.25
Baron won his fourth straight-game on the strength of Arian Foster's (18.00) big day. Ben Roethlisberger finished with a score of 0.25, and that wasn't even the worst score in this match-up. Pierre Garcon, who just two weeks ago was having a season-best day, finished with -0.50 (more on that later). Viano got 22.00 from Ryan Mathews and 21.00 from Carson Palmer, which were both higher than Baron's best effort, but WFG had five scores of 10.00 or more, while LMMG only managed three. It is rare to see a team win a VUFSA contest without strong quarterback play, but Baron managed to do just that thanks to Foster, Darren Sproles, Julio Jones, Frank Gore and a combined 23.25 from his IDPs. Viano needed some of Malcolm Floyd's touchdowns to go to Vincent Jackson instead.
WFG (9-6): Foster (18.00) did what he's done for the last two years. This time, he had 167 total yards and a touchdown. Gore (12.00) had 65 yards and a touchdown, Sproles finished 112 total yards and a score (14.50). Julio Jones caught five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown (12.50). Quintin Mikell had 10 tackles and forced two fumbles (10.50). Rob Gronkowski (4.00) saw all of his touchdown passes go to Aaron Hernandez this week, he finished with four catches for 53 yards. Roethlisberger (0.25) threw for 330 yards but had four turnovers. MVP: Foster. He has been Baron's most solid performer all season long. LVP: Big Ben. I know he's injured, but he was the best 49er out on the field.
LMMG (6-9): Carson Palmer threw for 362 yards and a touchdown (21.00) in one of his best games as a Raider. Mathews had 109 total yards and two touchdowns (22.00). Pierre Thomas (13.50) had 85 total yards and a score. A.J. Green caught six passes for 115 yards (8.00). That was essentially it. Willis McGahee did rush for 70 yards (7.00) but was kept out of the end zone. Greg Olsen caught two passes for 15 yards (1.00), and he won't even qualify as the LVP. MVP: Mathews. He has been up and down for most of his first two seasons, but he has really come on the last few weeks and finally is starting to look like a solid keeper. LVP: Garcon. Two weeks after scoring two touchdowns, the Haitian receiver caught two passes for 24 yards and had a fumble to finish in the negatives (-0.50).
Who is Ron Mexico 137.50-Jamie Looks Hot 96.50
This was the team Tomke was hoping to have all year. The most impressive part is that he put up these numbers without getting a huge day from any of his running backs. Instead, it was Matthew Stafford and Roddy White who carried the load. The duo combined for 58.25. Tomke also got double-digit performances from Maurice Jones-Drew, Jason Babin and Miles Austin. JR got a great performance from Matt Ryan (26.75) and good performances from Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Bush (28.00 combined). He also had Greg Jennings still in his lineup, and Jennings probably won't be back until the playoffs.
WIRM (8-7): I am going to be really interested to see which five Dave ends up keeping before next year. Stafford has stayed healthy all year and has looked pretty good (except at Soldier Field). He has White, Austin and Andre Johnson as wide receivers, as well as MJD, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham. He has to be wondering what went wrong for his team this year. Stafford threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns (35.25). White caught 10 passes for 135 yards and two scores (23.00). This had the added advantage of keeping JR from benefiting at all from most of Ryan's passes. MJD rushed for 112 yards (11.50). Austin caught five passes for 53 yards and a score (10.50). Plaxico Burress, Graham and BenJarvus Green-Ellis all had touchdowns. MVP: Stafford. This was the best game (I think) of his young career. LVP: Antonio Gates. He caught just two passes for 31 yards (2.00). He was rendered mostly ineffective by Mathews and Malcolm Floyd.
JLH (8-7): It was Ryan and his two running backs and a whole lot of nothing for JR. Ryan threw three touchdown passes (although two were negated because they went to White). Bradshaw had 79 total yards and a score (14.50). Bush continued to excel in place of Darren McFadden with 139 total yards (13.50). Santonio Holmes (7.50) was the only other JLH player to score a touchdown. Brandon Pettigrew and Dustin Keller combined for 9.00. Shonn Greene ran for 73 yards (8.00). JR's two Green Bay wide receivers combined for just 2.00 (which kind of makes sense since Jennings didn't play). MVP: Ryan. He threw for 224 and those three scores. He has really been solid the last few weeks. LVP: Jordy Nelson. Aaron Rodgers' struggles mean the wide receivers will struggle as well. Nelson caught two passes for 29 yards and did not come close to scoring a touchdown (2.00).
Next Week: The 2011 VUFSA football season comes to a close. Champ looks for his second title, while I am hoping to avoid finishing second for the third time in football and get my first title (in any sport). Drew and Eli will square off in the third place game. Baron takes on Tomke for fifth, and Viano and JR meet in the seventh place game.

Week 13 in Review

The next-to-last week of the regular season is over, and now the playoff scenarios are much clearer. Two playoff spots have been clinched (Champ and myself), while four others (Drew, Eli, Baron and JR) have a chance to claim the final two spots (although given that the first tiebreaker is total points scored, it looks like it will be awfully tough for Baron or JR to jump up even with a win--they both need wins, and they both need to score many, many points). Week 13 saw Philip Rivers have his best game of the year (and finish one or two completions short of giving Ed his second win of the season). Baron's team exploded for 152.00 (as previously mentioned, he could use another week like that in Week 14), and Eli tallied 141.75. Champ won by 1.5, while Baron won by 52. Drew won his third-straight to seemingly clinch a playoff berth. Welty remained winless since he changed his team's name. On with the show.
ChamPeons 105.75-Bobby Engram 104.25
If Rivers and Chris Johnson had faced Drew Brees and LeSean McCoy in some sort of hybrid two-on-two fantasy game, it would have been Edwin who won by 1.5 (56.00-54.50). Ed almost brought the Thunder, but Norv Turner decided to take pity on the Jaguars and sat Rivers for most of the fourth quarter. Chris Johnson's resurgence continued as he outscored McCoy 27.50-24.00. David Akers made four field goals and outscored Beanie Wells 14.00-12.50. Beyond that, there were not many noteworthy performances on either side. Champ won in spite of having four players score 1.00 or fewer. Ed had a chance to spring what would probably have been the upset of the year, and his team just couldn't quite do it. Playoff Implications: With the win, Champ clinched a playoff spot and due to a 34.00-point lead in total points scored, has the inside track to the top-seed in the playoffs.
C (9-4): Brees (30.50) tossed three touchdowns and had 342 yards passing against the Lions. McCoy (24.00) had 133 total yards of offense and scored both of Philadelphia's touchdowns. To be honest, he was the only guy on the Eagles who look like he cared at all about winning. Akers made four field goals, and Victor Cruz caught seven passes for 119 yards (8.50). It was not all good news for Champ though. Matt Forte was lost to a sprained MCL after scoring 1.00 (and will miss at least the first week of the VUFSA playoffs if not the rest of the year). Fred Davis has been suspended for the rest of the season due to a violation of some sort (it escapes me which kind an I'm too lazy to look it up). LeGarrette Blount only had 19 yards rushing (1.00), Patrick Willis hurt himself and did not score, and Brian Urlacher only managed two tackles for 1.00 (although that number is sure to be much higher against Tim Tebow this week). MVP: Brees. It could be McCoy for actually still caring, but Brees torched the Lions and just slightly edges out McCoy. LVP: Blount. Forte gets a pass for the injury, but this was probably Blount's most disappointing performance of the season. He has been a solid fantasy option all year, but it has to be a little concerning that he could only manage 1.00 against Carolina.
BE (1-12): Since I go out of my way to rip on Rivers when he's bad, I should give him his due this week. He was outstanding (294 yards passing, three touchdowns and zero turnovers) against the Jaguars. Again, Norv Turner probably cost Ed his second win of the year. I'm not completely sure on the numbers, but he might have gotten enough if he completed one more pass for six yards. If I'm wrong, correct me in the comments. Chris Johnson had 153 yards rushing and two scores (27.50), reminding everyone why he was slated to be one of the top fantasy backs this season. Wells (12.50) finished with 73 total yards and a score. Daniel Thomas rushed for 73 yards (7.00). Much like Champ, this was basically the extend of Ed's offense. MVP: Johnson. I know Rivers was awesome (and I should be nice to him for at least one week), but not only did CJ2K put together back-to-back solid weeks, but he also gives Ed some optimism headed into the 2012 campaign. LVP: Early Doucet. Doucet caught two passes for zero yards. It's a credit to him that he still managed to score 1.50, but that's just sad.
Pantry Cereals 110.50-Phil Powell Rules 91.00
For the second time this season, Aaron Rodgers out-Bradied Tom Brady in a match-up between the two quarterbacks, but this time, the rest of Drew's roster did enough get the victory and move Drew's winning streak to three in a row. Ray Rice > Roy Helu by a matter of 10.00 (27.00-17.00). Drew had four players score at least 10.50, while the Fightin' Phil Powells got a combined 55.00 from Rodgers and Helu with the next best total being 6.00 from Calvin Johnson. It was both feast and famine for PPR. Toby Gerhart put up 15.00 for Drew while Adrian Peterson missed his second-straight game. Playoff Implications: The win all but clinched a playoff spot for Drew. It would take a loss in which he only scored about 30 points (or a 200-point effort from either Baron or JR) to keep Drew out of the playoffs. In spite of the loss, PPR clinched a playoff spot. A first round win wouldn't asking for too much, would it?
PC (8-5): If you had told me before the week started that Brady and Wes Welker could combine for fewer points that Rodgers scored by himself, I would have felt very good about things. This is exactly what happened, but my optimism would have been unfounded. Mostly because of Ray Rice. Brady threw for 289 yards and two scores (24.25) and Welker caught 10 passes for 110 yards but stayed out of the end zone (10.50). John Harbaugh realized the error of his ways from earlier in the season (and caused Terrell Suggs to rejoice I'm sure) and just kept giving the ball to Rice. The former Rutgers star carried a career-high 29 times for 204 yards and a touchdown (27.00). Gerhart didn't score a touchdown, but he did finish with 133 total yards of offense (15.00). Lance Moore (8.00) only caught two passes, but one of them went for a touchdown. MVP: Rice. Over the last few years, it is a rare occurrence when Brady is outscored by someone on his own team. Rice did that this week, and receives this honor because of it. LVP: Torrey Smith. Baltimore's focus on running the ball was great for Rice, but it did mess up the Ravens' passing game. Smith managed just one catch for 32 yards (1.50).
PPR (9-4): Rodgers and Helu were awesome. Everyone else....not so much. Rodgers (38.00) finished with 401 total yards and four touchdowns. He would have passed the 40-point mark if he had not thrown an interception. In his second start of the season, Helu made Mike Shanahan look like a genius (or perhaps an idiot for not starting him all year) by putting up 142 total yards and a score (17.00). It was a bunch of dreck other than that. No other player in the lineup found the end zone, and Megatron's 6.00 was the next highest point total. I suppose there's something to be said for everyone else being awful at the same time. MVP: Rodgers. This does not require any additional explanation. Just give him the MVP now. LVP: Brandon Lloyd. James Starks and his 0.00 get a pass because of injury, but Lloyd only managed one catch for 32 yards (1.50). I know Sam Bradford didn't play, but that's still not good enough from a top-flight receiver.
Let My Monkeys Go 120.75-Who is Ron Mexico 96.00
Viano gets back to within one game of .500 by having six players score at least 11.00. Tomke could only manage three above 10.50. Dave also had three guys put up 0.00, which generally doesn't bode well. Pierre Garcon awoke from his season-long slumber to catch a couple of touchdown passes (he must like Dan Orlovsky--Dr. Lovsky!!!--a whole lot more than he likes Curtis Painter). Willis McGahee and Ryan Mathews combined for 33.00, while Carson Palmer had a decent showing (19.00) in what was otherwise a dreadful day for the Raiders. MJD had a big day on Monday night (he leads the AFC in rushing you know) to make this respectable. Matthew Stafford was okay and Roddy White found the end zone again. Not much for Dave other than that in what has been a very frustrating year for him, I'm sure. Playoff Implications: In spite of Viano's chance to get to 7-7 this week, both players were eliminated from playoff contention.
LMMG (6-7): We finally had a Pierre Garcon sighting. He caught nine passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns (23.50). Garcon has scored 97.00 through 12 games, so nearly 1/4 of his point total came in Week 13. Sadly, this is a little too late for Viano. Vincent Jackson and A.J. Green each had touchdown catches (25.50). Mathews had 112 yards rushing and a score (18.50), and McGahee added 111 rushing yards and a score (14.00). MVP: Garcon. This was an absolutely stud-like effort, undoubtedly causing Viano to wonder where this type of production has been all year. LVP: Anquan Boldin. Just like Torrey Smith earlier, this is another instance of a Baltimore receiver suffering from Ray Rice getting so many carries. Boldin managed just two catches for 32 yards (2.00).
WIRM (6-7): Not that it matters, but Tomke would have scored three more points if Jason Garrett weren't an idiot. Dan Bailey (8.00) would have made another field goal if Garrett hadn't called a time out right as he was kicking it. MJD (22.00) had 188 total yards and a touchdown. At least someone cared about looking good on Monday night. Stafford threw for 408 yards but only managed one touchdown (18.75). White caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown (10.50). Miles Austin did not play, and Andre Johnson (6.00) got hurt during the game. Jimmy Graham continued to be awesome with eight catches for 89 yards (8.00), but he was seemingly the only New Orleans wide out who didn't find the end zone against the Lions. MVP: MJD. He has been a shining beacon in what has otherwise been a disastrous season in Jacksonville. LVP: Plaxico Burress. A week after being mocked by Stevie Johnson, Burress had only three catches for 33 yards (2.50).
Dexter McClusterfunk 141.75-Shellden Conch 94.50
Eli also moved within striking distance of clinching a playoff spot. Much like Drew, it will take a really poor performance from him or a super-duper effort from Baron or JR to keep him out. Given the way Eli's squad performed in Week 13, this seems highly unlikely. Eli had five guys score at least 14.00, including Cam Newton's 37.50. I am officially ready to give Newton Waiver Wire Pick-up of the Year. (I reserve the right to reconsider that if DeMarco Murray absolutely owns people in the playoffs. Just saying). No one has been happier that Kim Kardashian is back on the market than Reggie Bush. He had another solid game. Three guys scored at least twice as much as what Yahoo! predicted they would. Welty got solid days from his Steelers, as Antonio Brown and Rashard Mendenhall combined for 28.00. The Laurent Robinson Express came to a screeching halt, and Jermichael Finley spells funny letters after he scores touchdowns. Playoff Implications: As previously mentioned, Eli is as close to locking up a playoff spot as a person can be who has not yet actually clinched. If he chooses to celebrate this way, the Gun can have the champagne on ice. (Be sure to drink responsibly). Welty has lost three-straight and has guaranteed himself the #2 pick in the 2012 Draft (the anticipation is building already).
DMF (8-5): Newton finished with 285 total yards and four touchdowns. He threw a touchdown pass and ran in three scores (setting a record for touchdown runs by a quarterback). He also caught a pass, but sadly did not score on that play. Marshawn Lynch (26.00) rushed for 148 yards and two scores. He has scored a touchdown in eight straight weeks, which I believe is also a record (but I could be making that up). Hakeem Nicks caught two touchdowns (19.50), and Dez Bryant added another (14.00). The aforementioned Mr. Bush finished with 100 yards rushing and a score. What's even more frightening, is the fact that Eli's team scored almost 142 points and got a combined 9.00 from Steven Jackson, DeSean Jackson and Larry Fitzgerald. The possibilities of this team are absolutely frightening. This could possibly be the year he gets a championship. MVP: Newton. I don't know if he can be the Rookie of the Year on a team that only wins four games, but there's no question he has been the best rookie in fantasy football this year. LVP: S. Jackson. He finished with 30 total yards (1.50) which is understandable against San Francisco, but still disappointing.
SC (4-9): Three 0.00 from starters didn't help Welty's cause. Mendenhall rushed for 60 yards and two scores (18.00). Brown scored a return touchdown and caught two passes for 67 yards (10.00). Andy Dalton only threw for 135 yards and a touchdown (10.75). Finley caught six passes for 87 yards and a score (13.50) and then spelled YOTTO after his touchdown. I have no idea what this means, and I kind of hope I never do. MVP: Mendenhall. The rushing total wasn't very high, but it didn't need to be in a 35-7 win over Cincinnati. LVP: Ryan Torain and Jerome Simpson. Both players were active during Week 13, but neither did anything to register a fantasy point one way or the other.
Waiting for Goodell 152.00-Jamie Looks Hot 100.00
Sweet Jesus, Baron. Bobby Brendel put up the third-largest point total of the season, surpassed only by Tomke's 161.50 in Week 2 and Champ's 155.00 in Week 7. Seven of his nine offensive starters scored at least 10.50. Percy Harvin returned from injury and led the way with 24.00. Rob Gronkowski stole some of Cam Newton's glory, as he also set an NFL record for touchdowns (23.00). Arian Foster had 20.50 in another ho hum afternoon. Shonn Greene (IOWA!!!) had a huge day (28.50) against the Jets, but the rest of JR's offense was sparse. Matt Ryan, Greg Jennings and Santonio Holmes all went over 10.00, but the trio only combined for 34.50. Four players combined for 63 percent of JR's point total. (Don't be impressed with my quick math skills, JR made it easy by scoring 100 on the nose). Playoff Implications: Both teams are still alive to reach the postseason, but as mentioned at least twice before, it will take stellar efforts by both squads and some help as well for either to make the playoffs. Baron has a 25-point lead on JR in total points scored, so he would be first in line (assuming the difference remains the same between the two) for the final spot if Drew or Eli (or both) falter.
WFG (7-6): Baron's team got 10 non-quarterback touchdowns. That is tough to beat. Harvin had 175 total yards and two touchdowns. Gronkowski set a record for touchdowns scored in a season by a tight end. He had three against the Colts (including one rushing). Foster had 152 total yards and a score. Mike Wallace (14.50) caught two scoring passes. Stevie Johnson and Darren Sproles (23.00 combined) each caught touchdown passes. Notice I haven't mentioned his quarterback yet? Ben Roethlisberger threw for 176 yards and two scores (18.75). There's not a lot left to say about his team's effort in Week 13. MVP: Harvin. It usually doesn't mean good things when a wide receiver scores more points than the quarterback. In this case, it was a very, very good thing for Mr. Brendel. LVP: Julio Jones. Only 5.50, Julio? Are you kidding me? If I were Baron, I would cut him out of sheer principle.
JLH (7-6): Greene had 114 total yards and three touchdowns, and I'm sure Champ was very pleased. (He loves his Hawkeyes you know). Jennings and Holmes (23.50 combined) each caught a touchdown pass. Matt Ryan (11.00) was not particularly good (two interceptions) and had Rivers-esque numbers. There isn't much else (good) of note. On the bright side, though, I think that even if JR had used his optimal lineup, he still would have lost. Baron just had one of those days. MVP: Greene. Without extra points, he would have only lost to the Redskins 19-18 if he had been playing by himself. LVP: Brandon Pettigrew and Dustin Keller. JR's tight ends combined to catch five passes for 25 yards (2.50). That's not good enough to get it done in a game like this.
Next Week: The last week of the regular season features an incredibly odd scenario in which the Week 14 match-ups could end up being rematches in the first week of the playoffs. Drew will try to lock up a playoff spot against Champ, while Eli takes on the Fighting Phil Powells. In other action, Baron and JR try to keep their playoff hopes alive against Viano and Welty, respectively. Ed takes on Tomke in an effort to pick up his second win of the year and head into 2012 with some momentum.

Weeks 11 and 12 in Review

As you probably noticed, there was not a recap for Week 11. I was traveling with my family down to North Carolina to visit my sister for Thanksgiving, and I did not get a chance to see any of the games (except for the 10 minutes of Green Bay-Tampa Bay that was on in the Atlanta airport). I also was unsure of how I could justify to everyone my sitting on the computer for a couple of hours while we were on vacation. Speaking of that, I hope you (and your respective families) had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Anyway, he's a very brief recap of what happened in Week 11:

• Tomke got back to his winning ways with a victory over Baron. Tony Romo put up 28.75 for Dave, while Baron got 19.00 from Josh Freeman while Ben Roethlisberger was on bye.
• JR defeated a Drew Brees-less Champ squad. Mark Sanchez only managed 8.00 for Champ. Mr. Radcliffe got a combined 54.00 from Matt Ryan, Jordy Nelson and Michael Bush.
• My team upended Viano (who was adjusting to life without Matt Schaub. Vincent Jackson put up 18.00 for Andy, but that was offset by -2.00 from Willis McGahee. Nate Washington scored 21.50 for me, but Adrian Peterson and James Starks were both injured. I cursed the Fantasy Sports Gods, who seem to have no consideration at all for my feelings.
• Eli beat Ed by 60.75, and sadly, this was not the biggest blowout of the week. Jay Cutler scored 25.50 for Ed, and the rest of his team combined for 28.00. Eli had six guys put up at least 10.00.
• Drew more than doubled-up Welty. Ray Rice scored a billion points (actually 26.50) for Drew, and four others put up at least 11.50. Jerome Simpson (yay Coastal Carolina) led Welty's effort with 14.00.

So that does it for Week 11. Now on to Week 12. With just two weeks left in the regular season, nothing has yet been settled except that Ed has guaranteed himself the number one pick in the 2012 Draft. There is a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots (Drew, Eli and JR--with JR on the outside looking in right now due to his team having scored the least amount of points thus far). Two other teams (Tomke and Baron) are just one game out of the last playoff spot. Things are a little more clear at the top, as Champ is a game clear of the three-way tie in second, and I have a game lead on him. After weeks of (mostly) blowouts, this week featured a couple of match-ups decided by fewer than six points (both on the strengths of Monday Night Thunder). There were also two games that had spreads of more than 48 points.
Who is Ron Mexico 127.00-Jamie Looks Hot 124.00
JR had a 15.50-point lead going into Monday night's tilt, but Jimmy Graham had a big night with five catches for 84 yards and two scores (18.50) to rally Dave for the win. These two guys reached their respective point totals in much the same way. Tomke had seven guys score at least 10 points, with Graham's 18.50 leading the way. JR has six guys score at least nine points, with Matt Ryan's 29.75 the highest for Radcliffe. The difference between these two: Tomke got double-digits from each of his offensive starters except for two. JR, on the other hand, had four of his offensive guys tally less than 10. JR is 1-2 in his last three contests, while Dave has won two in a row. Playoff Implications: Due to the first tiebreaker being total points scored, JR (who's scored the sixth-most points in the league so far) falls to outside the playoff picture with this loss. Radcliffe is still tied for 3rd, so a win in Week 13 puts him right back in the playoffs. Tomke is one game back of a playoff slot, and he finishes with Viano and Ed, so an 8-6 record is very possible.
WIRM (6-6): Tomke survived just one touchdown and three interceptions from Matthew Stafford (15.00). Kevin Smith and Andre Johnson (look who's back from injury) combined for 7.50. Dave got seven non-QB touchdowns, including two each from Graham and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (16.00). Maurice Jones Drew did not score, but did finish with 166 yards of total offense (14.00). Roddy White (17.00) caught 10 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Even Antonio Gates (11.00) and Plaxico Burress (10.00) caught touchdowns. MVP: Graham. It isn't often that a team's top point-getter is a tight end. It's even less often when that happens and the team wins. Graham has become probably the top tight end in the NFL at the current time. LVP: Andre Johnson. I know Matt Leinart and TJ Yates are not very good and that this was his first game back from injury, he needs to do more than two catches for 22 yards (2.00).
JLH (7-5): Matt Ryan threw for 263 yards and three scores and 0 turnovers (29.75). Reggie Wayne (14.50) caught five passes for 122 yards and a score. Greg Jennings and Santonio Holmes combined for 22.00 and two touchdowns. Michael Bush continued to be a wrecking machine with 93 total yards and a score (15.50). If JR had started either Dustin Keller (17.00) in place of Brandon Pettigrew (3.50) or DeAngelo Williams (18.00) in place Jonathan Stewart (9.00), he would have won. MVP: Ryan. One of his best (if not his best) games of the season, and he accounted for almost 1/4 of JR's points. LVP: Jordy Nelson. A week after catching two TD passes, Nelson was kept out of the end zone and only had four catches for 26 yards (3.00).
Waiting for Goodell 84.75-Shellden Conch 77.75
A seven-point night from Darren Sproles on Monday night was enough to push Baron to the .500 mark. It wasn't as big a "Thundering" as in Tomke's case, but it was still a "Thundering" nonetheless. Welty had two players score more than Baron's best player (the myth of Laurent Robinson continues), but Baron had five guys score at least 10.00, while Welty only had two. Each guy had one player put up 0.00 (Mario Manningham for Baron and Ryan Torain for Welty). Each had a disappointing effort from a star running back (Frank Gore's 3.50 for Baron and Rashard Mendenhall's 6.50 for Welty). Playoff Implications: Baron is only a game out of the playoffs, but thanks to his low point total for the season, he will need Dave, Eli and Drew (or a combination of them) to drop their last two games. Welty has been eliminated from playoff contention but can finish as high as sixth if things shake out his way.
WFG (6-6): Five guys basically led Baron to victory. Ben Roethlisberger, Percy Harvin, Arian Foster, Rob Gronkowski and Stevie Johnson combined for 62.75. Harvin (15.00) caught eight passes for 95 yards and a score. Foster had 89 total yards and a touchdown (13.50). Gronkowski (10.00) had 59 receiving yards and a score. He is rapidly becoming one of the best tight ends in the game. And he dates porn stars, so that's cool too I guess. Johnson caught eight passes for 75 yards and a score (13.00). If I worked at Yahoo, I would have given him an extra half-point for the super-cool touchdown celebration. I'm in favor of anyone who mocks Plaxico Burress. MVP: Harvin. One of his best games of the season could not have come at a better time. LVP: Baron. Manningham didn't end up playing, and because he's carrying two kickers, he didn't have a chance to pick up someone to replace Manningham. I put that on Baron.
SC (4-8): The Legend of Laurent Robinson continued as he caught seven passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns (19.00). Andy Dalton had 293 total yards and a touchdown (15.25). Welty swapped Jacksons with Eli, trading Steven for Fred. Ryan Torain (0.00) lost his starting job to Roy Helu. Robinson was the only non-QB to find the end zone. If he had replaced any of his receivers (except Robinson) with Johnny Knox (15.00), he would have won. MVP: Robinson. This probably sounds ridiculous, but there's a chance that he has worked his way into keeper status. LVP: Torain. What started out as a promising year has turned into a disappointing one as the rookie Helu got most of the carries and Torain wasn't even an afterthought.
Phil Powell Rules 119.50-Bobby Engram 96.00
The Fighting Phil Powells remained in sole possession of first place thanks mostly to the aforementioned Roy Helu. With Adrian Peterson, James Starks and Peyton Hillis all on the bench, Helu's big day (21.00) kept this team afloat. Aaron Rodgers was finally ordinary (in that he didn't surpass his projected point total) and Calvin Johnson caught a meaningless touchdown in the final seconds. Ed got a combined 42.00 from Beanie Wells and Chris Johnson (both of whom he offered to me in exchange for AP). Philip Rivers wasn't awful but continued to disappoint. Playoff Implications: PPR has not officially clinched a playoff spot but does remain in the top spot and can clinch a spot with a win this week (or losses by Eli and JR--I know Drew also fits in here, but since I'm playing him I get the win if he loses). Ed has won the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes, but his team has been much better the past few weeks.
PPR (9-3): You know you have been spoiled when you get 23.50 (307 yards passing and two scores) from Rodgers and consider it a disappointment. Helu showed why he should be the starting back in Washington with 162 total yards and a touchdown (21.50). Megatron and Brandon Lloyd (21.50 combined) each caught touchdown passes. Terrell Suggs (13.50) registered three sacks and forced a fumble. MVP: Helu. With AP, Hillis and Starks all benched, his performance was the difference in this match-up. LVP: Nate Washington. A week (or two I can't remember exactly) after catching two touchdowns, he was limited to one catch for 12 yards (1.00).
BE (1-11): No turnovers for Rivers (a first) but only 188 yards passing and one touchdown (13.75). Beanie Wells (f--- Ohio) had perhaps the best game of his career with 228 yards and a touchdown (25.50). Chris Johnson did not reach the end zone (16.50), but he did finish with 193 yards of total offense. Gresham had 68 receiving yards and a score (11.50). If Ed had gotten some more production from his receivers (Mike Thomas, Devin Hester and Nate Burleson combined for 5.50), he might have won. MVP: Wells. He would have put up even more if had not fumbled. That's about the only complaint with his performance. That, and the fact that he went to the most god-forsaken institution this side of ORU. LVP: Hester. This would have worked out if he had returned a kick for a score, but he didn't, and when he doesn't, he tends to be a liability on the roster (0.00).
Pantry Cereals 151.25-Dexter McClusterfunk 102.50
When Drew's team is bad, it's pretty bad (see Ed's only victory of the year), and when it's good, it's really, really good. Drew had four players score at least 19.00 and six score at least 11.00. After struggling the last few weeks, the Tom Brady-Wes Welker connection got going again (54.00 combined). To tell you what kind of day it was for Drew, Sebastian Janikowski (19.00) scored more points than all but one of Eli's players. For Eli, Cam Newton did what Cam Newton does (20.00), and Marshawn Lynch continued his reign of terror against the NFC West (18.50). Newly acquired Steven Jackson didn't do much (7.50). Playoff Implications: The win puts PC back in the playoffs, and with a 100-point advantage over Eli, he is slotted solidly into the third seed. If he holds on and makes the playoffs, he will have earned it, as his final two games have him facing the top two teams in the league. Eli is in as the fourth seed (due to a 40-point lead over JR), and his road is a little easier as he faces Welty before finishing with the Fighting Phil Powells.
PC (7-5): Brady even ran a little bit this week, finishing with 389 total yards and three scores (33.00). It certainly helps when two of those touchdown passes go to Wes Welker (21.00), who finished with eight catches for 115 yards. Cedric Benson had 130 total yards and a score (19.00). Janikowski went all Rob Bironas on the Bears and kicked six field goals. Lance Moore caught two touchdowns (16.00). Even Toby Gerhart got in on the act with 63 total yards and a score (11.00). MVP: Brady. I'm already cursing the Fates that I have to face Drew when Brady and Welker are going up against the hapless Colts. LVP: Torrey Smith. The rookie sensation only had two grabs for 23 yards (2.00), for Drew's worst offensive performance of Week 12.
DMC (7-5): Eli only had two guys put up double-figure totals. That does not bode well when your opponent has six such performances. Newton had 261 yards but only one touchdown. Lynch finished with 131 total yards and scored a touchdown for the seventh straight game. Reggie Bush had 96 total yards (8.50), and Hakeem Nicks caught seven passes for 87 yards (7.50). MVP: Lynch. Even after his highlight run against the Saints in the playoffs last year, he was an afterthought entering this year. He has been very, very solid. LVP: Dez Bryant. He managed just three catches for 35 yards (2.50) and took a back seat to the Laurent Robinson Experience.
ChamPeons 142.25-Let My Monkeys Go 81.00
This was the biggest "Thundering" of the week. Champ entered the final game trailing by 5.00. His three guys on Monday night (Drew Brees, Victor Cruz and Marques Colston) combined for 71.00. Drew Brees went off for another big night (43.00). Cruz scored 23.50, while Colston (4.50) was not much of a factor. Three other guys (DeMarco Murray, Brandon Marshall and LeSean McCoy) scored at least 12.00, but it begins and ends with Brees and Cruz. Viano had another Houston quarterback go down to injury (Matt Leinart this time). Ryan Mathews and Willis McGahee combined for 24.50. Sadly, except for 10.00 from Billy Cundiff (yay PFL), that was about it for Viano. Playoff Implications: The win keeps Mr. Whitlock in sole possession of second place. He's scored the most points in the league, so a win over Edwin this week won't officially clinch him a spot unless things break the exact right way, but he should unofficially clinch one with the victory. Viano has lost three in a row to fall to eighth. He's only two games back, but he needs to win his last two games and get a lot of help.
C (8-4): Brees finished with 371 total yards and five touchdowns. There's not much else you can say about that. What a performance. Cruz caught nine passes for 157 yards and two scores. Marshall had 103 receiving yards and a touchdown (13.50), while McCoy scored a touchdown and Murray 128 yards of total offense (12.00 apiece). MVP: Brees. This does not require any additional explanation. LVP: Owen Daniels. He turned in the lowest point total on Champ's offense, putting up 3.00.
LMMG (5-7): Leinart (9.50) left before the first half was over. Mathews paced LMMG with 142 total yards (13.50). McGahee had 117 rushing yards (11.00). Viano got one touchdown, and that was from Leinart before he was broken. A.J. Green (6.50) caught three passes for 110 yards. MVP: Mathews. He gets this spot by process of elimination. LVP: Vincent Jackson. His up-and-down season continues. This week was down, as he only managed two catches for 25 yards (2.00).
Next Week: At least one playoff spot can be clinched in Week 13. The top match-up is Pantry Cereals against Phil Powell Rules. Also, Baron faces JR. The winner will remain in the playoff hunt, while the loser will have work to do in Week 14. Tomke faces Viano in what is another de facto elimination game, while Champ takes on Edwin and Eli looks to bounce back against Welty (who is 0-2 since he changed his name, just saying).

Week Ten in Review

Note: As you probably noticed, there was not a recap last week. I bought myself a Playstation 3 for my birthday, and all my free time last week was spent playing PGA Tour 12 and College Football 12. Here is what happened in week nine: Baron beat me by 23 to win his fifth straight, Welty handed Ed his ninth straight loss, Vincent Jackson led Viano to a big win over Drew, JR blew out Eli, and Champ blew out Tomke.
Now on to Week Ten action. Ed (thanks mostly to the Ditka sweater-vest he was wearing on Sunday) got off the schnide and won his first game of the year. A meaningless touchdown by Adrian Peterson gave me a one-point win over JR in a battle of 6-3 squads. Eli nearly doubled-up Viano. Champ's squad emphatically brought Baron's five-game winning streak to an end, and Welty won his fourth straight in convincing fashion over Tomke (but Dave got into multiple fights with Chicago fans at Soldier Field, so that probably evens out). As of now, there are two teams at the top with records of 7-3 (Whitlock, Stem) and two teams tied for third at 6-6 (Eli, JR). Three teams are at 5-5, and two more are tied at 4-6. No one has yet clinched a playoff spot, and the teams tied for eighth are just two games out of a playoff spot. Anything can happen, including Ed losing out on the top pick in the 2012 draft.

Another note: due to my promising that I would give Ed's first win top billing, I will deviate slightly from the formula of listing these games by the margin of victory. This works out for me because I don't like talking about my team first anyway.

Bobby Engram 95.25-Pantry Cereals 84.75
Ed's players finally got their collective acts together (even though this was only his fifth-best point total of the season) in a win that Drew foresaw before the week even started. Philip Rivers limited himself to two turnovers (good for him). Chris Johnson went off and scored more than 1/4 of his total points for the season. Early Doucet caught a late touchdown to keep Ed's wide receivers from being totally worthless (9.00 combined). John Kasay made a bunch of field goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Tom Brady had a big day (30.50) for Drew, but Wes Welker ended up on Revis Island and saw all of Brady's touchdowns go elsewhere. Ray Rice threw a touchdown pass, but his offensive coordinator still hates him for some reason (more on that later). Drew traded for Jeremy Maclin (getting rid of Rashard Mendenhall in the process), and Maclin went out and got hurt in the first quarter. Did you know: John Kasay was selected as the first kicker off the board in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
BE (1-9): After throwing four touchdown passes the week before, Rivers threw two against the Raiders (16.75). Demaryius Thomas' quarter back only completed two passes, and he must feel like he's back at Georgia Tech all over again. Before Doucet (8.50) caught a touchdown in the last minute, Ed's receivers had combined for 2.50 points. Jermaine Gresham (9.00) caught a touchdown. Kasay (15.00) made four field goals and two extra points. But the story of the day was Chris Johnson. CJ had 174 total yards and a touchdown, and for the first time this year, he looked like the back everyone thought he would be. MVP: Johnson. Through nine games, he has accounted for 84.50 points. He scored 23.00 in week ten. LVP: Tim Tebow. While not on Ed's roster, Tebow's lack of passing ability (only eight attempts against KC) has made Thomas' value close to zilch.
PC (5-5): Brady (30.25) single handedly made this match-up close. But as previously mentioned, all three of his touchdowns went to someone other than Wes Welker. Drew missed out on the chance to get double points, and that cost him dearly. Dwayne Bowe and Jeremy Maclin combined for four catches (2.00). Ray Rice (14.25) threw a touchdown pass but only had 81 yards of total offense against Seattle (more on that later). Cedric Benson and Jackie Battle combined for 11.75. Not to pour salt in the wound, but Drew would have won if he had not traded Mendenhall. I'm just saying. MVP: Brady. He finished with 329 yards passing and three touchdowns. He did all he could to help out PC. LVP: Cam Cameron. The offensive coordinator of the Ravens undoubtedly earned the wrath of Terrell Suggs yet again by only giving Rice five carries and attempting 52 passes. How do you do that against Seattle?
Phil Powell Rules 117.75-Jamie Looks Hot 116.75
Somehow, in spite of a career game from Michael Bush and three touchdowns from Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings (I swear JR only starts Nelson against me), I managed to pull out a one-point victory. Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes (and managed to run for 21 yards). Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, and Vernon Davis all caught touchdown passes, and Adrian Peterson managed one very late (and very important) touchdown. That was pretty much it from my guys. Bush, Nelson, and Ryan all had big days for Radcliffe. It was a contest of contrasts, as my team got one huge performance from Rodgers and then had five guys score 9.50-11.00. JR had really solid days (at least 17.50 from each) from three guys and no one else had more than 8.50. Did you know: My team leads the league in guys who played at Nebraska and both are rookies (Roy Helu and Alex Henery).
PPR (7-3): Any discussion of this team begins and ends with Rodgers. Four touchdowns and 271 total yards (36.75) equals a pretty good day. Davis, Branch, and Lloyd combined for 12 catches, 146 yards, and three touchdowns (30.00). Peterson (11.00) had 51 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Michael Turner had 106 total yards (9.50). That's basically it. And this week it was just enough. MVP: Rodgers. He would have been even better if he hadn't tossed three TDs to JR's guys, but I shouldn't complain. LVP: Calvin Johnson. He finished with seven catches for 81 yards and a fumble (4.50). Those aren't awful numbers, but not as good compared to what he had put up the rest of the year. I'm sure the Bears had something to do with that.
JLH (6-4): Michael Bush continued to take advantage of Darren McFadden's absence by scoring a touchdown and having 242 total yards of offense (26.50). Nelson caught two touchdowns (17.50). Matt Ryan (23.25) threw for 351 yards and two scores. Shonn Greene and Jonathan Stewart combined for just 12.00. Santonio Holmes (7.00) caught six passes for 93 yards. MVP: Bush. Even though I ended up winning, I'm pretty sure I would still try to kick him in the nuts if I saw him walking down the street. LVP: Randall Cobb. Ahead 24-0 in the third quarter, Cobb fumbled a punt inside his own 20. Minnesota recovered and AP scored on the following possession. If Cobb doesn't fumble, AP probably doesn't score and JR wins.

Fruit on the Bottom 107.25-Who is Ron Mexico 73.25
Since Welty's name change didn't occur until after this game was over, the recap will reflect his old name. Welty's highest scoring player was the newly acquired Rashard Mendenhall with 17.50, but he had five players score at least 11.50. This probably would have been an even bigger blowout if Michael Vick (7.00) had not broken two ribs on the second play of the game. Welty's decision to start Laurent Robinson (who was in the Dallas lineup for the injured Miles Austin) was rewarded with two touchdowns. Tomke was burned by four players who put up 0.00. Two didn't play (Rian Lindell was injured and DeSean Jackson missed a meeting and was suspended), while BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Jason Babin were simply ineffective. Maurice Jones-Drew (19.50) had his best day of the season, and Jimmy Graham (13.50) continued to be one of Drew Brees' favorite targets. Not much else went right for Dave, and he had to watch the disaster that was Matt Stafford throwing four interceptions in person. Did you know: Vincent Brown, who caught a touchdown pass for Welty's squad and was a third round selection of the Chargers in this past April's draft, has the third-most receiving yards in San Diego State history with 3,110.
FOTB (4-6): Welty didn't need Vick to have a big week this week, which is good, because he didn't. Vick finished with 208 total yards and two interceptions. (As an aside, Welty would have been better off starting Tim Tebow, who despite only completing two passes outscored Vick by 10.50). FOTB's fourth-straight win came from both expected (Steven Jackson and Tony Gonzalez--23.50 combined) and unexpected (Robinson and Brown--170 yards and three touchdowns combined) sources, as well as a newly acquired source (Mendenhall's 70 total yards and two touchdowns for 17.50). Knowshon Moreno was on the bench this week, and that's where he will stay as he tore up his knee and will be out for the rest of the year. MVP: Robinson. He caught three passes for 73 yards and three scores, which is outstanding production in any case, but is especially good for a guy who was the fourth or fifth best option for the Cowboys at the start of the year. LVP: Vick. I know he was injured and all, but only putting up 7.00 against the Cardinals is just sad.
WIRM (4-6): Tomke has lost five-straight, and what was a once promising campaign appears as though it will end without a playoff berth. Dave got three non-quarterback touchdowns (and Stafford only added one himself) to go along with two goose eggs from skill position players. Things would have been even worse if Eric Decker's only reception hadn't been a 56-yard touchdown (8.50). Graham (13.50) caught seven passes for 82 yards and a score. MVP: MJD. Jones-Drew finished with 137 total yards and a touchdown (19.50) to lead the way for Dave's squad. LVP: DeSean Jackson. Green-Ellis gets a pass here (he went to Indiana and then transferred to Mississippi after all). Don't miss meetings. It's really not that hard. Show up on time and catch passes. That's all that is asked of you.

ChamPeons 140.75-Waiting for Goodell 103.25
Champ emphatically brought Baron's winning streak to an end. Champ got at least 12.50 from all three of his running backs, including 23.00 from DeMarco Murray, who may be second only to Cam Newton in terms of waiver wire pick ups this season. Only two of Champ's nine starters (Owen Daniels and Steve Smith) scored fewer than 7.50, but David Akers more than made up for it with 14.50. As a matter of fact, Daniels and Smith were the only two to score fewer than 4.00 on all of Champ's roster. That, gentlemen, is how you score 140+ points. Baron got mammoth days from Arian Foster (27.00) and Rob Gronkowski (21.00), but that was offset by below-average days from Darren Sproles, Julio Jones, Stevie Johnson, and Frank Gore (4.50 combined). Baron should be commended for putting up such a high score when four of his offensive guys combine for 4.50. Whereas Champ only had two guys score fewer than 4.00, Baron had six guys score 2.25 or fewer. That was the difference between these two. (I know insightful commentary such as that last sentence is the reason why you read this blog). Did you know: Mike is actually Mike Wallace's middle name (his first name is Burnell). It's fitting that he's on Baron's team, since his middle name is Baron and his first name is Robert. C (7-3): Impressively, Champ put up 140.75 with only five touchdowns. Brees accounted for two of them, while LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, and Murray each had one. Murray finished with 171 total yards. McCoy (16.00) added 93 total yards. Champ's three starting wide receivers (not counting Smith at the flex) combined for 21 catches and 295 yards (24.00). David Akers (14.50) made four field goals, an extra point, and a tackle. Patrick Willis (8.00) had 11 tackles and a sack. MVP: Murray. We all know Brees is going to put up numbers every week, but Murray continues to impress with another 20+ performance this week. LVP: Daniels. He finished with three catches for 31 yards. His 2.50 total was the worst on Champ's team.
WFG (5-5): Jones, Gore, and Johnson were all injured (2.50 combined), and Darren Sproles was essentially ignored (2.00). Ben Roethlisberger (12.25) finished with 245 yards and one touchdown and one interception (thanks mostly to the sabotage of Heath Miller). Foster had 186 total yards and two touchdowns. Gronkowski (who somehow managed to not think about the porn star he's dating) caught eight passes for 113 yards and two scores. Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan celebrated his alma mater's victory over Ohio State (I'll drink to that) with six tackles, two sacks, forced two fumbles (14.75). MVP: Foster. If Ben Tate didn't steal some of his carries (both rushed for 100+ yards against Tampa Bay), he would put up 30+ points per game. LVP: The Fantasy Sports Gods. Injuries to three of his better starters on offense is just cruel.

Dexter McClusterfunk 124.00-Let My Monkeys Go 67.75
Eli had six guys put up double-digit point totals and Viano only had one. (And to add injury to insult, Matt Schaub, Viano's only real scorer this week, broke a bone in his foot and will be out for the remainder of the year). Cam Newton only put up 11.75, but Larry Fitzgerald and Reggie Bush (who seems to be playing with a renewed sense of purpose since Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries split up) combined for 40.50 to make up for Newton's lack of performance. Fred Jackson, Dez Bryant, and Robbie Gould all went for at least 10 points for Eli as well. Viano's second-best point total was Roman Harper's 8.75. Did you know: Pierre Garcon won two Division III national championships as a receiver at Mount Union. DMC (6-4): Eli takes a hold of the third-seed by nearly doubling up Viano. Fitzgerald (22.50) led the way with seven catches for 142 yards and two scores (and he very nearly had a third before being ruled down at the one). Bush (18.00) only had 51 total yards, but he did have two touchdowns. Fred Jackson had 115 total yards (10.00) in his return to Dallas. Dez Bryant (12.00) caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Newton had 267 yards of total offense but zero touchdowns and one interception. MVP: Fitzgerald. He had his best game of the season, and for some reason, it came against the "Dream Team" and with John Skelton at quarterback. LVP: Mark Ingram. The rookie from Alabama finished with 14 total yards on nine touches (1.00).
LMMG (5-5): Schaub was solid (242 yards passing and two scores), but he was lost for the rest of the year. Willis McGahee and A.J. Green (8.50 combined) were both injured during their respective games as well. The San Diego backfield of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert combined for 132 total yards and 12.00 points. Roman Harper had 13 tackles and a sack. In happier news for Viano, Felix Jones is expected to play this week. MVP: Schaub. It's a really easy selection when one player scored 30 percent of a team's points. LVP: Vincent Jackson. A week after catching three touchdown passes, Jackson caught one pass for 22 yards (1.50).

Next Week: Champ and JR square off in what may end up being a playoff preview. Tomke looks to end his five-game losing streak against Baron. Ed tries for back-to-back wins against Eli. Welty looks for his fifth-straight win (and a chance to make a serious playoff push) against Drew. Viano tries to keep his playoff hopes alive against my team.

VUFSA in Review: Week 8

Parody may reign supreme in the standings (the teams tied for sixth are only one game out of a playoff spot), but not on the scoreboard. Week Eight saw another slate of games where not one contest was decided by fewer than 15 points. The closest match-up was Baron's 18.75-point win over Eli. Welty won his second in a row. Baron has gotten back to .500 thanks to his third straight win. Three of the four teams who were tied for first last week went down to defeat (my team was the only one that managed to avoid such a fate). Ed remained winless and traded away the one player who had performed somewhat consistently for him this year (but he did pick up another draft pick--more on that later). JR finds himself out of the playoffs this week, I'm guessing (based on the standings) because the first tiebreaker is total points scored. JR's loss is Drew's gain as he's back into the playoffs this week. On with the show.

Waiting for Goodell 126.25-Dexter McClusterfunk 107.50
The good version of Ben Roethlisberger continues to show up for Baron (12 TDs, two INTs in the last four weeks). Frank Gore and Arian Foster were both very good (37 points combined), and I'm sure Baron has waited all year for them to be good at the same time. Cam Newton continued to be super-good (I am going to go ahead and anoint this the Waiver Wire Pick Up of the Year--I feel confident in doing this), and Fred Jackson was solid, but there weren't any other eye-popping performances for the Gun. Interestingly, each guy had one of the New England tight ends. Baron won the tight end battle 7.50 (Rob Gronkowski)-7.00 (Aaron Hernandez). A special shout out to the ageless wonder Jason Hanson. The Lions' kicker put up 10.00 in Denver. Did you know: Speaking of Hanson, He and Drew Bledsoe were teammates at Washington State in the early 90's. They played Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1993 in my first game as a season-ticket holder.
WFG (4-4): Good Big Ben (365 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) led the way with 25.00. Gore (134 yards and a touchdown) was seemingly San Francisco's only offense against the Browns, and Foster added 124 total yards and a score. Mario Manningham caught six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown (12.00). Percy Harvin had a touchdown, but offset that with a fumble (8.50). Hanson (10.00) made one field goal and six extra points. Each of Baron's offensive starters scored at least 5.00. MVP: Big Ben. As mentioned before, the wrestling-loving QB has 12 TDs and just 2 INTs in his last four games. He started slowly but has really turned it on of late. LVP: Stevie Johnson. Not a lot to choose from, but Johnson had the lowest score of an offensive starter (5.00) with six catches for 57 yards.
DMC (5-3): Hooray Cam Newton, who had 343 yards of total offense and three touchdowns (27.50). Boo Cam Newton, who also had two fumbles. Eli only got one other touchdown from his offense, coming from Aaron Hernandez. Fred Jackson did have 194 total yards (16.00), and Reggie Bush (maybe he knew Kim Kardashian was going to go back on the market) had 120 total yards for 12.00. Larry Fitzgerald had 98 receiving yards, and Fred Davis caught eight passes for 94 yards. MVP: Newton. He finished with 290 yards passing and three scores and also rushed for 53 yards. If not for the two fumbles, he would have surpassed the 30-point mark. LVP: Dez Bryant. The Dallas offense was less than spectacular as a whole, but Tony Romo couldn't find Bryant, who finished with just three catches for 28 yards (2.50).

Fruit on the Bottom 122.25-ChamPeons 102.50
Welty finally moved Steven Jackson back into the starting lineup (right after I had inquired about making a trade for him no less), and that led him to his second-straight win. Jackson finished with 30.00 points, and only LeSean McCoy (31.00) scored more points than he did. Michael Vick had a big day (27.25) to offset McCoy's output. Antonio Brown and Jared Allen (yay defense) also reached double-figures for Welty. After combining for 60-plus points in week seven, Drew Brees and Marques Colston combined for just 16.00 in week eight. The Eagles were able to shut down DeMarco Murray. Did you know: Jerome Simpson (see below) played football and ran track at Coastal Carolina, which located in Conway, SC (near Myrtle Beach).
FOTB (2-6): Vick (329 total yards, two TDs, zero turnovers) had one of his best games of the year. Antonio Brown, Jeremy Maclin, and Jerome Simpson all caught touchdowns for Welty. The big story though was Jackson. He had by far his best game of the season (against the Saints even) with two rushing touchdowns and more than 150 rushing yards. His effort was needed as Welty's two other backs combined for eight points total. Jared Allen had five tackles and a sack to go along with a forced fumble and a recovery. MVP: Jackson. Maybe he likes the throwback uniforms. Whatever the reason, Jackson finished with 191 total yards and two scores. LVP: Ryan Torain. Washington's running game has been so bad, that the Redskins sign Tashard Choice, who had just been cut by the Cowboys. Torain managed 20 yards of total offense (1.50).
C (5-3): McCoy had two touchdowns, and the rest of Champ's team (including Brees) had two as well. Brees (12.50) managed 30 fewer points than last week, and he actually had more interceptions (two) than touchdowns (one). Steve Smith had seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown (15.50). No one else had particularly stellar numbers. MVP: McCoy. LeSean finished with 200 total yards (a career-high 185 on the ground) and two scores. LVP: Brees. Normally, I would avoid putting a QB who scored more than 10 here, but given the match-up and what he did last week, this has to be the most disappointing result on Champ's roster. Brees scored half as many points as he was predicted to have (and I think that estimate against the Rams was low).

Phil Powell Rules 118.25-Who is Ron Mexico 94.25
The Lions (excluding Calvin Johnson) did their best to try and lift Tomke to the win. He even got a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown from Chris Houston. Aside from those guys though (and the newly acquired Maurice Jones-Drew), Tomke didn't get much. Two players (neither of whom played much, if at all) came up with goose eggs. Ryan Fitzpatrick did what Ryan Fitzpatrick does (manages the game), Megatron caught another touchdown, Adrian Peterson had a really big day, and there was a Nate Washington sighting in Nashville. Did you know: Tomke leads the VUFSA in number of players with hyphenated last names with two (Jones-Drew and Green-Ellis). He also leads the league in number of players named BenJarvus, but that isn't nearly as impressive.
PPR (6-2): I was bracing for a loss this week with Rodgers, Starks, and Turner all being on byes and Peyton Hillis suffering from the Madden curse, but points came from both surprising and not so surprising places. AP finished with 161 total yards and two scores (25.50). Four of the five receivers I started caught a touchdown pass (Jabar Gaffney, y u no catch touchdown?). Washington (15.00) caught a touchdown and ran in another. Brandon Lloyd (11.00) was so happy to be out of Denver that he caught a touchdown pass. Even Deion Branch caught a touchdown. Megatron had another touchdown and another 100-plus receiving yards (15.00). Fitzpatrick had two touchdowns but also two turnovers (16.25). MVP: Peterson. I was tempted to go with Washington, but AP's day (86 yards rushing, 76 yards receiving and two scores) was too good to overlook. LVP: Vernon Davis. He only had three catches for 27 yards (2.50). His up and down season continues.
WIRM (4-4): Tomke made a big move by sending Darren McFadden and his 3rd round pick (yes, I know Stephen Tulloch was also a part of the deal) to Edwin for Andre Johnson and MJD. Unfortunately for Dave, Johnson missed the game again this week and he was kept in the lineup. Green-Ellis also registered a 0.00 as he only rushed for nine yards. Matthew Stafford (30.25) tossed three touchdown passes and looked fully healthy. MJD had 74 total yards and a score (12.50). Maurice Morris had 65 total yards and a score (12.50). Houston's pick-six was good enough for 11.50 points. Rian Lindell (spell your name like all the other Ryan's out there, jerk) enjoyed kicking in Canada (three field goals, 11.00 total). MVP: Stafford. He showed no ill effects from an ankle injury the previous week. He certainly did his part with 288 total yards and three scores. LVP: Green-Ellis. He has been limited by a toe injury, put he struggled mightily against the Steelers (0.00). It was so bad, that Kevin Faulk came out of retirement during the game to play for New England.

Pantry Cereals 129.50-Jamie Looks Hot 81.50
Drew got back to his winning ways thanks to three 20-plus performances (including one from a defensive player). Ray Rice (28.50) scored three touchdowns, which has to make Terrell Suggs happy. Tom Brady (21.00) threw a couple of touchdown passes, none of which went to Wes Welker. Jackie Battle scored a touchdown for the Chiefs, and Nick Novak made a bunch of field goals for the Chargers. (He would have had the chance to try one more if Captain Turnover--also known as Philip Rivers--hadn't fumbled near the end of regulation. JR only got one double-digit performance, although Eli Manning was pretty good (25.75). Ahmad Bradshaw was injured, and the JR's three backs combined for 16.50. Stafford favored Tony Scheffler instead of Brandon Pettigrew (1.50). Did you know: DeMarcus Ware's 20.25 points is the highest score turned in by an individual defensive player this season.
PC (5-3): MVP: Ware. Speaking of Ware, he finished with four sacks and a forced fumble, which is about as much as the Valpo defense has done this year. Rice had 99 total yards and three touchdowns. Brady was held to under 200 yards passing (198), but he had two touchdowns and no turnovers. Battle (13.00) had 70 rushing yards and a score. Novak (12.00) made four field goals. Other than that, Drew's lineup was pretty quiet, but it didn't matter because Rice, Battle, Ware, and Brady would have beaten JR by themselves (82.50-81.50). Rice had a better day point-wise, but a defensive performance of this caliber deserves special recognition. It was good to see at least one Dallas player wanted to win against the Eagles. LVP: Jason Witten. While Ware was busy wrecking havoc, Witten managed just four catches for 28 yards (3.00).
JLH (5-3): JR's winning streak came to an end because no one other than Eli Manning (25.75) decided to show up. JR got one non-QB touchdown, and it came from IDP Jason McCourty (9.50). Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for 8.00. His three wide receivers combined for 10.00. It's hard to win when five players combine for 18.00. MVP: Manning. Eli passed for 349 yards and two scores. It would have been a worthy performance regardless of roster, but given what the rest of JLH did, this was an easy choice. LVP: Robert Meachem. Against the Rams, Drew Brees was expected to do more, so two catches for 12 yards (1.00) has to be really, really disappointing.

Let My Monkeys Go 102.75-Bobby Engram 53.25
Viano's squad got four double-digit performances (although none was higher than 17.00), but that was more than enough as none of Ed's players managed more 8.00. Ryan Mathews and Montario Hardesty were both injured, so Viano's RB depth may be put to test in upcoming weeks. Billy Cundiff (12.00) had the second-best score in this match-up. Matt Schaub was solid (17.00) but not spectacular. A.J. Green caught another touchdown pass. And Philip Rivers is still really bad at football. The best news for Ed was that he picked up Darren McFadden and Tomke's third round pick. Did you know: Ed has five picks in the first three rounds of the 2012 draft, including three in the third round. If he ends up with five players who are keeper-worthy, he will be right back in the hunt next year.
LMMG (4-4): Schaub threw for 200 yards and had two total touchdowns and a fumble. Green (11.50) had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. He has had a really solid rookie year. Greg Olsen (11.00) had 73 yards receiving and a score. Anquan Boldin (10.50) caught seven passes for 145 yards. Cundiff made three field goals and three extra points. MVP: Green. Schaub had kind of a meh day, so Green goes here. LVP: Hardesty. He only had six rushing yards before leaving with an injury (and forcing Cleveland to turn to a running back no one outside of Cleveland has ever heard of).
BE (0-8): The losing streak continues for Edwin. Rivers continued to be terrible (7.00) with three turnovers and no touchdowns. Chris Johnson was held under 65 yards for the sixth time in seven games this season. You know it's bad when the coach has to say that your stud running back won't be replaced. Early Doucet (8.00) had Ed's only touchdown. Let that sink in for a minute....(go ahead, I'll wait)...his roster scored one touchdown. Yikes. Heath Miller (8.00) had seven catches for 85 yards. MVP: Doucet. He gets this honor for no other reason than being the one BE player to find the end zone. LVP: Demaryius Thomas. He suffered from Tim Tebow's general lack of skills, as he only had one catch for 10 yards (0.50).

Next Week: Ed looks for his first win of the season against Welty, Baron puts his three-game winning streak on the line against my team, Eli and JR square off in a battle of 5-3 teams, and there will be two contests pairing a 5-3 team against a 4-4 squad with Champ taking on Tomke and Viano facing Drew.

VUFSA in Review Week 7

Kind of another disappointing week (in terms of the closeness of results) in the VUFSA. One contest was decided by 80.50 points, and only one closer than 10 (and even it was 9.50). Three long streaks continued (Champ and JR have each won four in a row, while Ed has lost seven straight). Welty got his first win of the season (congrats to him). At the halfway point, there is a four-way tie for first. Eight teams are within two games of first place (and also a playoff spot). There were a slew of injuries this past week (Stafford, Hightower, Moss, Mathews--his was minor I guess, Ryan, Graham, Jennings, McFadden), and they may very well decide who wins the championship.

Dexter McClusterfunk 102.50-Who is Ron Mexico 93.00
Cam Newton continues to prove the doubters wrong, while Stafford had problems with Atlanta's defense and then was injured to make things worse for Dave. Each team had RB problems, with Marshawn Lynch deciding before kickoff he was too hurt to play and McFadden leaving early with an injury. Tomke's tight ends combined for 27.50 points, and Plaxico Burress caught three touchdowns, while Eli got touchdowns from both Fred Davis and Dez Bryant. Did you know: Eli has three Heisman trophy winners on his team (Newton, Bradford, Ingram).
DMC (5-2): Newton had 315 total yards and two touchdowns. Only three non-QB touchdown from his team, but those who didn't find the end zone did put up a lot of yards. I'm sure this is the only week Eli ever wants to start both Reggie Bush and Lynch. MVP: Newton and his 26.50 points. He continues to be the lone bright spot for a very bad Carolina team, and his acquisition looks to be one of the better waiver wire moves this year. (Yes, I know I have said that already. I'll probably keep saying it). And Auburn was cleared in his who recruitment. So that's nice, if you're into that sort of thing. LVP: Lynch. If you're too injured to play it's one thing, but next time, man up and say so before the early games kick off so people can adjust their rosters accordingly.
WIRM (4-3): Stafford was only 15-33 for 183 yards and a touchdown (12.75). Tomke had seven non-QB touchdowns (including three from Burress and two from Jimmy Graham), but he only managed 6.50 from his two running backs. McFadden was injured very early in the game, and he contributed next to nothing. MVP: Burress. He only caught four passes for 25 yards, but three of those were touchdowns. LVP: Miles Austin. I hesitate to give this to anyone who gets injured during the game, so Austin's 1.00 total it is. Dez Bryant caught a bunch of passes, so why didn't Austin catch any?

Jamie Looks Hot 92.25-Bobby Engram 71.50
JR wins his fourth in a row, while Ed loses his seventh straight to start the season. Ed only had one guy put up double figures, and it was John Kasay. JR had five double-digit totals, with one of them coming from Neil Rackers. But the good news for Ed is that Kasay outscored Rackers 14.00-11.50, so at least he won the kicker battle. Matt Ryan had a solid game against the Lions, and the same could not be said for Philip Rivers against the Jets. In other news, Greg Jennings continued to be awesome (how did he get so wide open, Asher Allen?), while Chris Johnson continues to not be awesome. Did you know: Speaking of Johnson, he has had three games this season where he has rushed for fewer than 25 yards. At this rate (someone much smarter than I am figured this out), he is making approximately $20,000 per yard.
JLH (5-2): Four total touchdowns for JR, but it was enough. Jennings had one of those scores, to go along with seven catches for 147 yards (16.50). Matt Ryan had two scores (also two picks) for 15.50, and Jonathan Stewart had the other TD (12.00). Shonn Greene (IOWA!!!) went over 100 yards (11.50). MVP: Jennings. He had almost half of Aaron Rodgers's passing yards on the day. LVP: Santonio Holmes, who finished with two catches for 24 yards. This week, Mark Sanchez only had eyes for Plaxico.
BE (0-7): Ed's kicker was awesome. The rest of his team...not so much. Rivers (7.00) only threw for 179 yards and one touchdown. He also had two interceptions. MJD (8.50) went over 100 yards, but had a costly fumble at the goal line that was a nine-point swing (assuming he scores instead of fumbling). Chris Johnson rushed for 18 yards. Early Doucet caught a touchdown. MVP: John Kasay. He made two field goals and eight (!!!) extra points for a total of 14.00. LVP: Doug Baldwin. Lots to choose from here, but it goes to the guy who did not register a catch all game (0.00).

Fruit on the Bottom 93.00-Let My Monkeys Go 57.75
Welty gets his first win of the season (and in convincing fashion no less). Tim Tebow's fantastic last three minutes lead Welty's squad to victory. Mason Crosby made a bunch of long field goals, and Ryan Torain put up a goose egg. These two teams combined to have four players score at least 10 points. Earnest Graham and Ryan Mathews were both injured early on, so that didn't help Viano very much. Did you know: Tebowing, where you go out in random places, drop to one knee, and begin to pray, is the new planking. I didn't know this, but my Twitter feed tells me so, so it must be true. Try it for yourself and see how much fun it can be.
FOTB (1-6): At the start of the fourth quarter, Tebow had two passing yards. He finished with 161 and two scores, and he also rushed for 59 yards and a two-point conversion (25.50). Crosby made four field goals and added three extra points (16.00). Not much aside from that, although Antonio Brown did go over 100 receiving yards (8.50). MVP: Tebow. The Golden Child looked awful for three quarters, but he turned it on in the fourth and overtime. It will be interesting to see how he does against the Lions. Is he for real, or was this a result of playing the Dolphins? LVP: Ryan Torain. He rushed for -5 yards. That is all.
LMMG (3-4): The Texans scored 41 points, but Matt Schaub only threw two touchdowns. Still, he didn't throw any interceptions and accounted for 21.50 points, more than 1/3 of Viano's total for the week. Anquan Boldin (10.00) caught the only other touchdown for Viano's squad. Not much else to say. MVP: Schaub. Not a whole lot to choose from, but Schaub's day was good enough to end up here. Just under 300 yards and two scores. LVP: Greg Olsen. Cam Newton was throwing for a bunch of yards, but Olsen only managed one catch for four yards (1.00).

ChamPeons 155.00-Phil Powell Rules 118.75
This match-up turned about the time Drew Brees threw his first touchdown pass to Marques Colston. I went from being up 10 to down 10, and it was all downhill from there. Brees went off (five TDs). Also, DeMarco Murray and Matt Forte are pretty good as well. Champ only had five guys score in double figures (I also had five), but his were much, much better. Champ also won by 36.25 in spite of taking -3.00 from Tashard Choice. Did you know: Murray set a new Dallas record for most rushing yards by a rookie. Bonus: The Saints scored 62 points against the Colts, and the Rams have scored 56 points in six games this season.
C (5-2): Champ has won four straight after a 1-2 start. Murray had 253 yards rushing and a touchdown (31.00). Colston had 98 yards receiving and two scores (19.50). Forte had 183 total yards and a touchdown (22.00). Even Steve Smith had 143 receiving yards (10.50). MVP: Brees. Five touchdowns and 325 yards passing. Not quite Rodgers against the Broncos, but it was very, very close. LVP: Choice. It's more than a little frustrating to lose to a guy who had a -3.00 on his team, but I guess it was easier to swallow because I still got curb stomped.
PPR (5-2): Rodgers was awesome, again (30.00). Megatron found the end zone, again (13.50). Adrian Peterson had one of his better games of the year with 178 rushing yards and a touchdown (23.50). Michael Turner ran for 122 yards but no scores (12.00). The rest of my team was a whole lot of dreck. Nate Washington, Mike Thomas, and Dallas Clark were non-entities (1.00 combined). MVP: Rodgers. He threw for 335 yards and three touchdown passes. LVP: Dallas Clark. The Colts didn't do much right against the Saints, and Clark did not manage a single reception (0.00).

Waiting for Goodell 146.25-Pantry Cereals 65.75
Baron had six guys record double-digit point totals (including his kicker and a defender), while Drew's team (without Brady and Welker) managed not a single one. Jason Witten (9.50) came the closest, and then the next highest mark came from Charles Woodson (7.75). Arian Foster, Big Ben, and Darren Sproles all went off. Roethlisberger and Foster by themselves (68.00 combined) would have beaten Drew this week. Did you know: James Anderson went to Virginia Tech and was drafted 88th overall in the 2006 draft. (I had to look that one up, and by this time, I was out of interesting factoids to put here).
WFG (3-4): Baron finally had Big Ben in the lineup when he had a good game (31.50). Foster (36.50) had at least 100 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Sproles had 107 total yards and two touchdowns (23.00). Mike Wallace and Kellen Winslow also caught touchdowns. MVP: Foster. He finished with 234 yards of total offense and finally looked healthy. LVP: Devery Henderson. With all of the TDs Brees was throwing, Henderson (0.50) only had one catch total for nine yards.
PC (4-3): Two total touchdowns for Drew. One came from Matt Hasselbeck, which was offset by two interceptions, and the other came from Witten. Woodson had two interceptions. In week one, Brady and Welker combined for 63 points. Just saying. MVP: Witten. It's probably not your week when your best player has five catches for 35 yards and a score. LVP: Ray Rice. He finished with just 63 yards and a fumble. He wasn't a big focus of the offense, and that clearly bothered Terrell Suggs, so it has to count for something.

Next week: Ed looks for his first win against Viano, Welty looks to start a winning streak against Champ, JR puts his four-game winning streak on the line against Drew, Eli goes up against Baron (who is hoping the Good Big Ben shows up again), and the two Lions' fans square off, with Tomke hoping Stafford throws eight TD passes to receivers not named Calvin Johnson.