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.