Fantasy Football

We’re so regularly getting around to this later than expected that it is no longer later than expected. It’s just when we write it. So be it. Do not expect these Monday posts to go up anytime before 1PM EST and if they do, you should be flummoxed at our tremendous punctuality.

But what a letdown week from so many performers for the first week of most leagues playoffs. It’s almost unfathomable to figure just how so many players can come up so short in games that are pivotal for the playoff race. In short, if you had Chris Johnson or LenDale White on your team, you’re probably a little dissatisfied with the result. I mean, they were playing the Texans for God’s sake, it wasn’t exactly the 2000 Ravens or anything. Really? You guys can’t muster up even a combined 20 fantasy points against a 6-7 team? What can we depend on?

(On a personal note, we switched White out of our starting lineup immediately at around 12:58PM yesterday, due to a late and fortunate “Q” next to his name in Yahoo. We put in Kevin Faulk in place of him and needless to say, it was wise decision That’s right, Imma geniuse).

Certainly not the Giants, who look a little shorthanded without their star wideout. In the games they had played without Plax, I get the impression that the teams still had to prepare for him (sans that week 3 game against the Rams) and were a bit off-balance when it ended up he wasn’t going to play. Or maybe in the case of the Cardinals, they just are not all that great to begin with, and their record is askew from their actual talent by virtue of playing in the worst division in the NFL. Whatever it is, they’re not the same team without him, and this has our future bet in jeopardy. We didn’t watch the game, we were watching the Survivor finale, but if the numbers are any indication, winning big games against talented rosters is going to pose somewhat of an issue.

But that was the NFL in week 15, up was down and black was white. There wasn’t any continuity between yesterday’s games and the past fourteen weeks. Even the Colts needed the fourth quarter to beat the Lions. Needless to say, our record against the line took a significant hit in credibility. Not sure I really want to type out our record now, but lets just say that I knew the Giants were losing based on how everything else went earlier in the day. To bad we made our pick for that game last Friday instead of yesterday at 7:30PM.

Tough week for the Plaxinator and his soon to be former team.

And really, I shouldn’t say their wasn’t any continuity. Why, the Packers lost to the Jags. That’s pretty consistent with at least the past three weeks, if not the entire season. Good lord what a fall from grace they’ve had recently. Is it just nerves? Are they indifferent to the season now? How do they go from tied for the lead in a tough division to losing to Houston, Carolina (a warm weather team) at home and now to the lowly and under-achieving Jaguars on the road? We’re giving Mike McCarthy about a gazillion to one shot to keep his job at the end of the season, because the management wants someone to pin the season on who isn’t named Aaron Rodgers.

Can we even call that win from the Chargers a comeback? First of all, it was against the Chiefs. No one comes back against the Chiefs in 2008, you simply beat them. If you were down in the first place then you were being upset unless you’re the Raiders, Bengals, Lions, Seahawks, Rams and apparently the Redskins, to name a few. Secondly, the last few drives of the game I felt like could have been stopped by any competent defense in the league (which excludes all the aforementioned teams). All I’m saying is that if I’m a Chargers fan (or a Tomlinson owner) I’m not exactly thrilled when they need a series of miraculous plays to overcome a bottom-feeder in the fifteenth week of a season they were supposed to dominate. Odds Norv Turner keeps his job: Surprisingly pretty fucking high because AJ Smith doesn’t want to look like an idiot for firing Schottenheimer (sp?) in the first place.

Anyhow, it was an unpredictable week and we’re paying the price for it with our picks (we’re not linking to them one more time). But on a positive linear note, considering that whenever our fantasy team wins it squeaks out a victory against another team whose having a comparatively bad week, we actually dominated this week and scored more points than anyone else in our league to push us into the semifinals (assuming David Akers doesn’t rack up over 25 fantasy points). In other words, I hope I finish below .500 for the last two weeks of the season if this is the net result.

We’ll try to post more later, but are pressed for time as is. Definitely back tomorrow, though.