Tim's Predictions - Week 8

	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
Last week's record	(2-3)	(0-0)	(0-0)	(4-1)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Overall record	(21-14)	(11-9)	(7-8)	(14-11)	(10-5)	(9-6)

Tim's Predictions - Week 8

odoyle RULES v. aaronisyourdaddy
Without Aaron Rodgers, Aaron's team will only be at half strength (at best).  He may win the RB battle, but I'll win the game.

Spider Pig v. Terrific Tortoises
I think Bernard Scott may raise a few eyebrows in a good way for Luke.  Too bad it's just a one-week stint.  Brees and Johnson won't be enough for David's team to pull this one out.  Luke wins.

Rainbow Warriors v. THE Pain Train
Peterson v. the Panthers bodes well for Jeff's team.  Oh yeah, not to mention Jeff's got his Patriot players back.  Gabs's team continues to struggle, Jeff wins.

JohnKasay#1 v. RelientK
Eric's team is definitely favored in this one, but not necessarily because of Tebow.  He's just flat out got a better team.  Eric wins it.

JUSTINA OWNS v. The Debbinator
Justina's team has been struggling, and it won't help that Forte will be on the bench this week.  That might be enough to bring her loss streak to 2.  I'm sad to say it, but David wins it.  Triple Facepalm.

Laura's Predictions - Week 8

RelientK vs. JohnKasay#1
Eric's team has been a giant-slayer, but guess what buddy? My team ain't no giant. I'm the ultimate underdog of this league and your win streak stops here. Eli and the Giants are going to beat up on the Dolphins this week, yes I still have to deal with some bye weeks but I don't think Tebow is going to play well against the Lions and the Patriots will cool down your Steeler players.
Geez, quit hating on my team...I haven't played in 2 years, that's my excuse.

odoyle RULES vs. aaronisyourdaddy
What a nice pickup in Murray, Tim. I'm liking your team a lot - 3 Panthers, 2 Cowboys! You are lucky this week...Aaron doesn't have Aaron so your team should have no problem.

Spider Pig vs. Terrific Tortoises
David, I think this is the week for Chris Johnson to have a crazy game. Like, a 53.5 million dollar game. Plus, I don't like the Eagles and they're going to lose to Dallas. You win.

Rainbow Warriors vs. THE Pain Train
Gabs needs to lose so I hopefully won't be on the bottom anymore, sorry.

JUSTINA OWNS vs. The Debbinator
Did you really change your team name in hopes that you'll go on a 9 game winning streak? Do we even have 9 more games? Justina, I'm going with you because well, you're a girl and I have to live vicariously through your team since mine is at the bottom. You have plans for your bye week players, right?

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS! courtesy of JK#1

4-1 in my predictions last week? WINNING#

*If only I had more faith in my owner Tim Chang's team, that I would carry him to victory. sighhh.

JohnKasay#1 vs RelientK
The hottest team (at the moment) vs the crappiest team in the league? No need for explanation.
Tim Tebow drops another 30 points this week. no more hatin' on Tebow, Chang.. :)

odoyle RULES vs aaronisyourdaddy
Again, I don't know how in the world Aaron has a winning record.. absolutely absurd. Without Rogers on bye this week (who by the way is practically his team), he has to resort to Ponder? keep pondering about your loss by 20+points this week.

Spider Pig vs Terrific Tortoises
They both have RB's this week that no one has heard of. Bernard and Maurice? Sounds like they could be a movie together.. documentaries of crappy, no name RB's in the NFL that people use to fill in their roster spots on 'bye' weeks. True Life.
-Luke has MJD though and the Oompa Loompa will want redemption after he fumbled what seemed like 10 times on MNF.. and CJ has done nothing. if he doesn't this week against the Colts, time to cut him loose

Rainbow Warriors vs THE Pain Train
This one is really a toss up and I don't know which direction to go. on paper, it seems like Jeff should destroy Gabs but I'm having doubts this week due to match ups. what the heck. let's go with an upset pick of the week. THE Pain Train will put a hurtin on those pretty boy Patriots

JUSTINA OWNS vs The Debbinator??? (formerly known as what'spoppinslime)
David changes his name to Debbinator... what it is.. only one can wonder.. but maybe this will help him win this week? Justina is no longer undefeated (thanks to yours truly) and we all might say, oh it's just one loss, but not so fast.. i see another loss coming THIS WEEK. that's right. Justina's team is falling fast, and she won't score much with Forte on 'bye' this week. chalk up ANOTHER upset this week! whoa.. am i crazy? maybe..

Tim's Power Rankings - Week 8

My how the mighty have fallen..

Power Rankings - Week 8
[Previous Rank in brackets]

1.  (6-1, 813.20 pts) [1] - I said I'd change the photo, so I thought this one would be kind of fitting.  Her loss wasn't that big of a deal, but it kind of was.  It was a tough MNF game to watch, from really all angles of the game.  You could kind of see it coming for Justina, though, with her team being a little shaky as of late due to bye weeks.  I'll forgive her team, and keep it at the top, mainly because she didn't have some of her normal arsenal in play this week.  She's still the team to beat - solid lineup when its full-force, which will be useful come playoff time, when wins really matter.

2.  (5-2, 800.66 pts) [2] -Respectable showing without his superstars.  Jimmy Graham is proving to be a great pickup for Jeff, and Adrian Peterson is still looking good.  Slightly concerned about his WRs, but I think he's going to be knocking on Justina's #1 door pretty soon.

3.  (3-4, 711.84 pts) [4] - It's funny to me that a lot of weeks, the biggest blowout has been given to a team that earned it because the other team sucked so much.  Anyways, I'm still upset I didn't steal Colston from Luke.  It would have been the steal of the century.  Ok, maybe more like the steal of weeks 4-8.  Or longer, now that Hightower is out with his ACL.  Anyways, Luke's now reaping the benefits of David's (and my) folly.  With Vick back and an MJD that's not playing the Ravens defense, I think Luke might have himself a somewhat respectable team.  At least for now.

4.  (4-3, 689.90 pts) [6] - Aaron wisely picked up Hardesty to fill in for Hillis, and it has paid off, at least for this past week.  With Rodgers at the Q, Sproles doing a nice job, Jackson back in action (That kind of rhymes!  All the times!), and a few mediocre-to-unremarkable WRs, Aaron continues to move up the rankings.  He's managing his situation pretty decently, and if he can keep things that way, the future may be bright for him.  He's got a lot of people nipping at his heels, though.  Just look at the photo below.

5.  (4-3, 702.88 pts) [5] - Tebow panned out nicely for Eric this week, but I'm still a doubter, not a believer.  Wallace is the sole shining star on his team (arguably Gore, too), but I think the rest of his team isn't too shabby.  WR3 and RB2 could use some work, but if Tebow delivers the goods, Eric will continue rising.

6.  (3-4, 699.18 pts) [3] - It's always a little unnerving when one player scores half of your points.  Brees saved David's loss from being a total blowout.  The unsettling thing is, his bench didn't really produce either.  He'll struggle to find an adequate RB2, and his WRs are not so hot.  His team is in somewhat of a limbo right now, and his recent inconsistency kicks him down a few notches in the rankings.  Sorry, no love for the tortoises.  Slow and steady won't win fantasy.

7.   (3-4, 706.86 pts) [8] - Looks like Odoyle is back in action.  Thanks to DeMarco Murray.  And no thanks to Ryan Torain.  Negative 0.50 thanks, to be exact.  I refrain from putting my team up too high, because I am fully aware of the gaping holes in my roster.  I've bulked up my WRs a fair amount, with a healthy Dez Bryant and the new acquisition of #89, but my RB2 is somewhat in question.  As long as Murray can run like Forrest, I'll be alright.

8. (3-4, 703.74 pts) [9] - Nice rebound from last week's terrifying performance.  The Arian Foster trade is starting to pay its dividends for David.  His team doesn't move up as much for the same reason as mine.  I think David's team is on the rise, though, with Foster and Mathews at the RB, Nicks and Maclin as WRs, and a surprising Schaub at QB.  I expect his team to start putting up big numbers.  We'll wait until next week before bringing him up further in the rankings - a one spot jump is good enough for now.


9.  (2-5, 638.86 pts) [7] - I don't think I need to explain much here.  Darren McFadden is hurt and half of his team is on bye next week.  Sorry to say, things aren't looking so hot.

10.  (2-5, 630.72 pts) [10] - All I have to say is, Gabs, watch out, because Laura is tired of being at the bottom.  She's at least loaded enough now to get out of last place.  Yay!

John Kasay's Week 7 Predictions

JohnKasay#1 vs JUSTINA OWNS
-how am I gonna go against myself? I took down one formerly "undefeated" and I'll do it again this week. plain and simple

odoyle RULES vs Terrific Tortoises
-David has a lot of favorable match-ups this week. in almost all positions

Spider Pig vs THE Pain Train
-no special match-ups here. kinda boring if you ask me. McFadden is only reliable fantasy start for Gabs, so Luke wins

Rainbow Warriors vs RelientK
-Laura's team is pretty sad. dunno how she has 2 wins. baffling. (maybe if she didn't hate on my team so much because of their looks.. how shallow..) plus Jeff has Graham (former basketball stand out who Brees looks to at least 30 times a game)

aaronisyourdaddy vs what's poppin slime
-how is Aaron 4-2? his WR's and RB's this week are WEAK.. i've never even heard of three of them before.. oh. it's cause he has Aaron Rodgers dropping 50 points a week.. that explains the record. he won't offset the horrible people he has as 'bye' week fill ins this time though.

Tim's Predictions - Week 7

Not a good week for predictions.  Hopefully this week will pan out better..

	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
Last week's record	(2-3)	(2-3)	(0-0)	(3-2)	(3-2)	(2-3)
Overall record	(19-11)	(11-9)	(7-8)	(10-10)	(10-5)	(9-6)

Tim's Predictions - Week 7
odoyle RULES v. Terrific Tortoises - Even with an injured Blount and his Kicker on bye, David still arguably has a better team than I do.  If this trade between Luke and I goes through, it'll boost my team's production, at least for this week.  But will that be enough to fight David off?  Doubtful.  Tortoises win.

Spider Pig v. THE Pain Train - This one will be close.  Gabs has Luke beat at the QB and RB positions this week with some favorable matchups.  But Luke's WRs are on another galaxy than Gabs's.  I think that'll make a difference in the end.  If he starts Decker, that'll be a wild card and it'll be interesting to see how that one plays out.  Luke barely wins this one this week.

Rainbow Warriors v. RelientK - The week Laura catches a break and plays Jeff's team during the Patriot's bye week, she gets hit with the bye plague.  But I'm calling upset right now.  Not necessarily based on any empirical evidence, but solely based on gut feeling.  Laura's on a 2 game win streak, and I don't think she's ready to start losing again.

JohnKasay#1 v. JUSTINA OWNS - Eric starts Tebow, which in my opinion is a huge risk, and I don't think it'll bode well for him.  Even with a stronger QB, Eric's team isn't much of a match for Justina's.  I think her record can attest to that.  Justina wins.

aaronisyourdaddy v. what's poppin slime - Aaron's team becomes incredibly one-dimensional with Fred Jackson on the bench.  I wouldn't be surprised if Rodgers scored all of his team's points.  David wins it.

Tim's Power Rankings - Week 7

Sorry for the late update - this week has been busier than most others.

Just when things were seeming to settle in our league (in terms of consistency of rankings), things got mixed up this week and now the quality of #3-10 teams in the power rankings are muddier than ever.  Arguably, #2 as well.  I've tried my best to discern between the best of the rest, but know that these rankings are very interchangeable.  Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of what I'm doing.  But oh well.


Power Rankings - Week 7
[Previous Rank in brackets]

1.  (6-0, 728.66 pts) [1] - I don't think this needs explaining.  She really is owning our league right now.  I need to find another picture for her team.

2.  (4-2, 697.72 pts) [2] - Oh wait, you need other players to do well in order to win consistently?  Tough week for his RBs, and it ended up hurting him.  He's got a decent amount of RB padding on his bench to get him through these next few weeks.  Question is, does he have enough remaining padding for week 7 when the Patriots are on bye?  And he's up against a RelientK team that is blood-thirsty for more wins?  We'll find out!

3.  (3-3, 612.78 pts) [3] - David has a good team, I've never doubted that.  He's just been unable to have his record properly reflect that.  His RBs definitely have potential but just haven't achieved much consistency.  His WRs are starting to step up a little, and it helps when you have a decent Kicker and Defense.

4.  (2-4, 619.52 pts) [4] - Same story as before - nice WRs, nice QBs, unproven RBs.  Especially now with Best hurt.  But he's been putting up decent numbers as of late.  He probably wishes he could combine all 4 of his bench RBs into one megaRB.  But even so, that megaRB would be pretty sucky.

5.  (3-3, 609.14 pts) [8] - Just giving respect where it's deserved.  A dominant showing in the past few weeks (best one this past week) has taken Eric and his team shooting way up and more.  I still have reservations - he doesn't have a consistent QB (Tebow?  Really?), and only has a serviceable group of WRs.  But with a nice selection of RBs and a strange knack for knowing who to start each week, Eric might have something going for him.

6.  (4-2, 587.96 pts) [7] - Aaron is a prime example of how your record doesn't always translate to the strength of your team.  Quick stat - his points against is the 3rd lowest in the league.  Meaning what?  He's had a (relatively) easy schedule, and hence his record.  Interesting other quick stat - Jeff's team has the lowest points against.  I'm just sayin'.  Anyways.  Aaron's team.  He's got the highest scoring player in the whole league (Rodgers, duh).  I wonder how David feels about that.  He also has the highest scoring RB in the league.  I wonder how David feels about that.  But his RB2 and WRs are pretty close to pitiful.  But I guess I'm one to talk.

7.  (2-4, 574.12 pts) [9] - Having Carson Palmer in Oakland will only make McFadden better.  Gabs has a better team than his record shows, but a lot is still unproven, namely his WRs.  I'm sure he's waiting out on Andre Johnson, which will help once he gets healthy, but Gabs is trying to scrap through in the meantime.  Like most of us down here..  Oh, speaking of which..

8.  (2-4, 594.82 pts) [6] - Yeah, two terrible weeks with no real hope for improvement in the near future definitely justify my low ranking.  Yes, I have a great QB, yes I have two pretty solid RBs, but I have nothing at the WR.  Only wishful thinking.  Not even John Kasay can save me from this misery.  Here is a short video on what has happened to my team:

9.  (2-4, 587.40 pts) [5] - David's gotten the short end of some of these trades (see Aaron's team above) - at least that's my gut analysis of it all.  Maybe he has a better plan behind it all.  Or maybe not, because I'm starting to doubt his trading judgment abilities.  He recommended that I not trade Hightower for Colston, and I actually listened to him.  I'm now kicking myself for it.  Ok, enough David-bashing.  Now to bash his team.  Just kidding - it looks good on paper.  As in, looks good in the Sunday paper, but not so good in the Monday paper.  Get it?  It's like teleportation.  Yeah, in theory it's great and seems like it would work well - all you have to do is make your cells travel super faster than the speed of light.  But for some reason, it just doesn't work out.  I don't know why.

10.  (2-4, 538.06 pts) [10] - Her team comes up big this week, mostly thanks to her RBs.  I can buy that Turner will continue to put up decent numbers, but Bradshaw with 31 points won't happen often enough to make Laura's team scary.  Still very iffy at the QB and WR positions.  But hey, she's got the same record as half of the other teams in our league.  So I guess that counts for something.

Justina Makes Awards - Week 6

Since Laura did Awards and Predictions last week, I will be in charge this week!  "I put plastic on your chairs so feel free to wet yourselves with excitement."  Points if you know where that's from!

The Willow Smith Achievement Award goes to THE Pain Train!

Absolutely no one predicted you to win.  Even Laura and I predicted Tim's team would beat yours, and we usually champion the underdog.  But you know what?  Don't let haters keep you off your grind.  Just shake 'em off, shake 'em off.

I guess Luke's prediction that I'd run out of snark before my team ran out of steam (oh heeeeyyy 6-0!) may be accurate, because I couldn't think of any other awards.  Instead, I'll leave you with some thoughts:

• Can we talk about how terrifying Eric's team is?  The guy writes scathing power rankings, coin tosses his way through predictions, and still comes out with the week's biggest blowout.  It just isn't right.
• Believing in the Tortoises isn't enough sometimes.  Speaking of which, you want to talk trades tonight? Stafford, maybe??
• But believe in Laura's team, and you won't be disappointed!  Thanks for the +1 on my predictions record; sorry Luke, that it had to come at your expense.

Predictions - Week 6 Recap

Matchups	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
odoyle RULES (2-3) v. THE Pain Train (1-4)	odoyle RULES	odoyle RULES	---	odoyle RULES	odoyle RULES	odoyle RULES
Spider Pig (2-3) v. RelientK (1-4)	Spider Pig	Spider Pig	---	Spider Pig	RelientK	RelientK
Rainbow Warriors (4-1) v. JUSTINA OWNS (5-0)	JUSTINA OWNS	Rainbow Warriors	---	JUSTINA OWNS	JUSTINA OWNS	JUSTINA OWNS
Terrific Tortoises (3-2) v. aaronisyourdaddy (3-2)	aaronis- yourdaddy	aaronis- yourdaddy	---	aaronis- yourdaddy	aaronis- yourdaddy	Terrific Tortoises
JohnKasay#1 (2-3) v. what's poppin slime (2-3)	what's poppin slime	John- Kasay#1	---	John- Kasay#1	what's poppin slime	what's poppin slime
Last week's record	(2-3)	(0-0)	(2-3)	(2-3)	(3-2)	(3-2)
Overall record	(17-8)	(9-6)	(7-8)	(7-8)	(7-3)	(7-3)

Week 6. Coin toss week for John Kasay

Sorry guys, but John Kasay has been extremely busy this week working on my 60 yd FG's so I can show up this Janakowski fella this week.

Therefore, with little time for predictions, I will just predict this. Panthers get their first win this week vs Atlanta.

As for match-ups, it will be a simple coin toss this week to determine the winner. I will be back next week when I rest up my leg for 70 yd FG attempts in the coming weeks.

JohnKasay#1 vs what's poppin slime
WINNER: JohnKasay#1

odoyle RULES vs THE Pain Train
WINNER: odoyle RULES

Spider Pig vs RelientK
WINNER: Spider Pig

Rainbow Warriors vs JUSTINA OWNS
WINNER: JUSTINA OWNS

Terrific Tortoises vs aaronisyourdaddy
WINNER: aaronsiyourdaddy

Laura Makes Predictions - Week 6

Laura and I decided to alternate writing predictions as well as awards.  Sorry Tim, for making your table a little more complicated.  This week's predictions are from Laura, and she's nicely highlighted the winner!

RelientK (1-4) vs. Spider Pig (2-3)
It's always so hard for me to predict my games...I really hate picking myself to lose. So, this week I'm going to say I win because the Giants will play well, Tony Romo turns the ball over 4+ times and my D will reap the benefits, but he'll keep passing to Witten to try and keep up with Brady, and the Eagles will be shut down by the Skins. Yup, pretty sure that's what will happen this weekend.

odoyle RULES (2-3) vs. THE Pain Train (1-4)
I think this game will be close, but Tim wins because like I said, Tony Romo is going to self-implode this week. Plus, after his last two losses, he's due for a win.

Rainbow Warriors (4-1) vs. JUSTINA OWNS (5-0)
So, if I were going to be consistent about how I think the weekend will go... Jeff would win, BUT I think I have to pick my co-predictor to win here or she would be mad at me : P 6-0 here she comes!

JohnKasay#1 (2-3) vs. what's poppin slime (2-3)
It's not a good sign when Eric can't use his team mascot's picture...that must mean his team will lose. Otherwise, it's a toss-up for me.

Terrific Tortoises (3-2) vs. aaronisyourdaddy (3-2)
David, I can't use all of my predicting magic on you anymore. Two weeks in a row, we've been the only ones to predict that you would win. This is where it ends though, I'm sorry, but feel free to prove me wrong. Tortoises take a hit because of the bye week and Aaron has Aaron and a bunch of players I don't know anything about plus a very scary GB defense.

Tim + Luke's Predictions - Week 6

A week of crazy upsets and underperformance (by Jeff and I) made for a mediocre predictions showing.  Hopefully this week will be better.

	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
Last week's record	(2-3)	(0-0)	(2-3)	(2-3)	(3-2)	(3-2)
Overall record	(17-8)	(9-6)	(7-8)	(7-8)	(7-3)	(7-3)

Tim's Predictions - Week 6:

-odoyle RULES v. THE Pain Train: My team needs a win, so I get it.  All of Tony Romo's TD passes will be to Dez Bryant, so that negates any padding Gabs gets at the QB spot.  Plus, you can't stop the Cam-Olsen connection.  Gabs has better RBs, but that won't be enough.  Sheer willpower will get my team the W.

-Spider Pig v. RelientK: Laura's got better RBs, but Luke's strong WRs will give him the victory.

-Rainbow Warriors v. JUSTINA OWNS:  Matchup of the week, hands down.  Jeff has a few bye week players, which puts him at a handicap, but don't be surprised if Tom Brady and co. beat up bad on the Cowboys.  Justina's WRs and RBs have enough firepower to hold off whatever Jeff might bring, but it'll be a fun matchup to watch.  I'm actually kind of more excited about next week, when the Patriots are on bye and Jeff has to beat Laura.  I'm almost favoring Laura in that case.  Oh wait, I'm predicting this matchup - Justina continues to owns.

-JohnKasay#1 v. what's poppin slime: QB is slightly in David's favor, WRs are in David's favor, Eric has a significant edge in RBs, and the rest are a wash (slightly in favor of David - I'm liking Minnesota D against Chicago).  Looks like David has more positions in his favor.  Hence, he wins.

-Terrific Tortoises v. aaronisyourdaddy: David loses some starters to bye week, and Aaron has enough threats (Rodgers, Jackson, possibly Cruz) to capitalize on David's weaknesses for the week.  Aaron wins.


Luke's Predictions - Week 6

• Pig continues to put up points, but plops when it comes to winning games. Hopefully he can gorge on bottom feeder, RelientK this week.
• odoyle hasn't been ruling very much lately, but it's about time he showed some of the strength he had early in the season
• Game of the week here. Rainbow was so used to doing this that he got blindsided by Kasay. The gayroller will have his vengeance. 
• Kind of a toss up game between slime and Kasay. Coin says heads so I'll go with Kasay. He is #1 after all.
• aaron, with the 2nd least creative team name, pulls out another win here as his team continues going on the rise. He continues to prove the theory that you can go into a season knowing nothing about fantasy football (remember the season he thought Ricky Williams was a CB for green bay?), but can easily catch up in mid-season

Power Rankings - Week 6

Fantasy football is frustrating. Onward.

1. JUSTINA OWNS (5-0) – It doesn’t matter who Justina plugs in. Garcon or the Law Firm. They’ll produce. It is getting kind of absurd now. They must be playing extra hard for her or something.

2. Rainbow Warriors (4-1) – Really confused as to how he didn’t have a higher final score, with Peterson posting a spectacular day. When Brady and company have an “off” day, his team is only a mild juggernaut.

3. Terrific Tortoises (3-2) – I’m still not sold on Blount or Johnson, but he deserves to be up this high. Brees will consistently post around or above 25 pts each week, giving his team a solid boost. With Bowe catching passes, Austin doing his thing, and Daniels picking up the slack for the injured Johnson, his team will fair well. However, Blount has done horribly against tough opposing defenses and Johnson still hasn’t proven to be worthy of the high pick just yet. It’ll be interesting to see how his team does in the upcoming weeks. There is potential for him to pass Justina in the rankings.

4. Spider Pig (2-3) – Jahvid Best had a great week, which helped Luke post some good numbers last week. I’m completely sold on all of his receivers, including the resurrected Steve Smith. I don’t know if the Panthers will ever be in the position in a game to give DeAngelo the carries he deserves, so his RBs are still shaky to me at Best. Hah. Anyway, his team continues to produce, so it justifies the bump up in rankings.

5. aaronisyourdaddy (3-2) – His receiving corps take a big hit with Lloyd having to endure the transition to Tebow. Tebow will help the Broncos win more games, but more with his savvy and leadership than with his arm. With Cruz as his only legitimate producer, I see a fall in production in Aaron’s team. Sproles has been a fantastic surprise for Aaron and Jackson will continue to produce. But, with Hillis’ status with the Brown’s looking shaky, his RB depth takes a minor hit. His team has been winning, so he deserves to be this high, but I’m not completely sold, as he has the 3^rd lowest points against in the league while scoring under 500 points for the season so far.

6. odoyle RULES (2-3) - Great starting RBs, but has serious depth issues. But, has been making moves so his team has good potential (Greg Little). With his QB playing out of mind, his team is looking pretty solid.

7. what's poppin slime (2-3) - Matt Schaub, oh Matt Schaub. How I loathe you. But, the rest of my team looks okay. With the addition of Finley, I’ll arguably have 2 top 10 RBs, 2 top 10 WRs, and a top 2 TE. That has to add up to wins eventually. I hope… but I have now turned into a skeptical owner.

8. JohnKasay#1 (2-3) - Wayne is past his prime, but Gore is definitely looking better. Alex Smith has been playing great management football, keeping the score close and allowing Gore to get his touches. Mendenhall is still shaky in my mind, as is Boldin, but his team did beat Jeff’s team. His team has a chance to improve with the Steelers now playing some good football.

9. THE Pain Train (1-4) – A nice acquisition in Stevie Johnson. Once Andre Johnson returns, his team will be very formidable, with Romo at the helm and McFadden and Greene leading the way as well. I want to see points before I move him up though.

10. Relient K (1-4) – Mike Williams is not having the season he was projected to have and Fitzgerald is hindered by the underachievement of Kevin Kolb. Still, Manning has been playing much better, and Witten is still a great TE. Just needs to hope that her players start playing up to their potential. Suspension of Benson makes things interesting as well.

Tim's Power Rankings - Week 6

This week has scrambled things up a little - showing weaknesses and strengths of various teams.  But of considerable note, we have a new #1!  Read on..

Power Rankings - Week 6
[Previous Rank in brackets]

1.  (5-0, 639.30 pts) [2] - A clearly dominant showing this week puts Justina atop the power rankings.  Note she had Ray Rice on the bench this week, too.  Yes, Janikowski got 20 points, but even without those points, she would have dominated.  Still somewhat weak at the QB position, which is her biggest missing piece.  But she's riding the undefeated wave and I'm sure she's enjoying it.  Along with Jerome Simpson and his 7 pounds of marijuana.

2.  (4-1, 609.86 pts) [1] - Tom Brady and co. don't do so hot in fantasy this week, and Jeff's team shows that it is beatable on the right week.  I'm surprised that even though Peterson had a monster week, Jeff still couldn't pull out a victory.  He still put up respectable numbers, but there are holes in his armor now.

3.  (3-2, 557.46 pts) [6] - David makes a statement this week, and the consistency of his team has been more and more impressive.  Chris Johnson is starting to show up, and he's also getting good supporting help from his other players (Brees is of notable mention).  Is his team a clear-cut #3?  That's debatable.  But due to a lack of a better candidate, David kind of gets pushed up here almost by default.

4.  (2-3, 528.94 pts) [5] - Similar story to last week - good overall numbers, but weak RBs, hence not enough punch.  Vick and Luke's WRs are impressive, but Luke's RB situation is no good.  DeAngelo had a good showing this week (riding Luke's bench), but don't expect him getting those numbers each week.  Don't expect any of Luke's RBs to get any numbers each week.  Have we beaten this dead horse enough?

5.  (2-3, 524.90 pts) [4] - David put up very respectable numbers this week, but was up against a tough opponent, and unfortunately lost.  He's got the manpower and potential to make some noise - his WRs have been doing well (especially with the addition of Nicks), he's got good RBs, but he might want to work his trading magic to upgrade his QB.  I'm confused as to why he's not putting up bigger numbers, but it is what it is.

6.  (2-3, 513.54 pts) [3] - Wow, what an embarrassment.  I almost pulled a win out of my butt.  Literally.  And I kind of wish I did, but that's life.  Huge holes in my WR corps (that's what happens when you rely on backups who are patchwork fill-ins for true starters) show glaringly through and bumps my team way down on the rankings.  Now's what I call a waiver wire scramble and hope for the best.  Unless someone wants to give me, say.. Mike Wallace for.. John Kasay?

7.  (3-2, 497.56 pts) [8] - Nice win, nice showing.  Although he's put up good numbers the last two weeks, he doesn't get bumped up much more, because I'm not sold on all of his players (example: Victor Cruz).  Aaron Rodgers and Fred Jackson have so far proved to be valuable acquisitions, but that's about the extent of his team's threat-level.  The rest of his team doesn't pack much of a punch and isn't scary.  Yet.  His WRs have the potential to blow up any week like Cruz did, but I see them more of one-week wonders than consistent producers.  If he can put up another solid showing, I'll give his team the respect it deserves.

8.  (2-3, 489.94 pts) [9] - Eric pulls out a big upset victory this week.  His team is starting to put their act together, but I don't think it's enough to perform consistently.  WR2 and WR3 spots are still weak, and even his QB is not performing like a top-5 QB (as he was supposed to).  Give us a few more weeks like this one, and you'll be where John Kasay is pointing.  I've used that 2 weeks in a row, that doesn't constitute lameness yet, right?

9.  (1-4, 473.74 pts) [7] - Painter surprises with nice stats, albeit against a terrible KC team, Shonn Greene performs as people were hoping he would, but the other holes in Gabs's team are too big to overlook.  Branch's performance has been splotchy, and the rest of the WRs are hurting (especially without Andre Johnson).  McFadden had an off week, so expect Gabs to rebound.  But until then..

10.  (1-4, 422.98 pts) [10] - I was actually pretty stressed out about fantasy football this weekend because of how dismally my team did.  I was certain Laura was going to beat me.  And then she didn't.  And then she did.  In spite of the win, I can't justify taking Laura out of her 10 spot.  I had to score 72.36 in order for her to beat me.  At least Eli is starting to look good!  She had decent production from her RBs, too.  Just no WR power.  Seems to be a trend.

Luke's Power Rankings - Week 6

Power Rankings:

1. JUSTINA OWNS - duh. The only doubt here is whether or not she can continue to come up with obnoxious, yet witty posts like her "sorry I'm not sorry" cards to keep up with her wins. I think the former will run out of steam first. 
2. Rainbow Warriors - Minor setback, but beware of Justina Owns. Patriots won't play the Jets every week, so you can expect his numbers to go back to their lofty norms soon. 
3. Aaronisyourdaddy - Good active team management puts Aaron on the rise. Now if only he'd give me a running back, his team would be even better.
4. Terrific Tortoises - our league site says you're on a 3 game winning streak. You must be doing something right. Props. 
5. Spider Pig  - if somebody wants to donate me a running back, I'll be your friend forever. Gabs maybe? (flashback to a few years ago when I got LJ ^_^). If "Tha Angelo" can put up those numbers every week and if Megatron and his recepticons can keep freeing up running space for Best, Pig might be a force to reckon with once again. 
6. odoyle RULES - he beat me in week 1, which still stings, but forces me to respect his team without pulling up his roster, despite his 2 game losing streak. Plus, I picked him to win this week. 
7. what's popping slime - decent/mediocre squad that has consistency issues. Will either need a freak injury/breakout or some stellar management to differentiate himself from the pack. 
8. JohnKasay#1 - He gets some sort of props for beating Jeffrey. 
9. Pain Train - Don't have too much too say here. Don't stop believing. Lets... get this party started?
10. RelientK - Unfortunately, someone has to be last place. Think about it this way, at least you didn't enter the season pegging yourself as "the dream team" and coming out the gates 1-4. So in a sense, you've outperformed Andy Reid as a team manager so far this season. 

Laura and Justina Make Awards - Week 5

Whew, that was an interesting weekend, huh?  I can't wait to see the damage it's wreaked on our prediction ratings. This week's awards are written by Laura:

Can't Catch a Break award goes to odoyle rules!

This is how my Sunday night went: "Oh, look! I only need 11 points to beat Tim - I'm going to watch the game." I cheered for every yard Michael Turner gained, after his TD I thought for sure he could gain a few more yards - half a game left!

Half time: cook dinner, eat really fast.
Third quarter: watch in horror as Atlanta's offense stinks and GB gains the lead.
Fourth quarter: cheer wildly as Turner has an eight yard run and puts me ahead, 73.20 - 72.36.

THAT WAS THE SCORE WHEN I WENT TO BED. I did have the thought that a stat correction could change things, but I was just excited to have won a game! Or so I thought. So imagine my surprise when I woke up Monday morning to find that 2 extra points had been given to Tim's defense to put him on top. WHAT IN THE WORLD??

Tuesday morning: It's back to 73.20 - 72.36, all is right in fantasy world.  Yahoo, quit playin'! YAY I WON A GAME

Tim: Man, that stinks. You've lost two in a row, each by less than a point, to myself and Justina. The good news? You aren't playing a girl next week. Hey, maybe your team should start hanging out with mine near the bottom of the power rankings. Then it wouldn't have to fall so far.


U MAD BRO? award goes to JohnKasay#1

  

First off, I think it's great that you were the only one who picked your team to win, against an undefeated Jeff, no less. I apologize for writing your team off and calling them ugly. Congrats! Justina says thanks for making her the only undefeated team in the league.

That being said, you might want to dial down the hate this week...it won't compensate for the ugliness of your team and I don't think it worked well for you in your predictions (2-3) and was it just me or did "and I'm pissed" look scary in that font?

P.S. Ugliness doesn't have to equal nastiness, thank you!


Finally, here is my bomb roommate Terrific Tortoises with a special message:

"To: Eric
From: David Li"

See you next week!

Predictions Round-up - Week 5

Matchups	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
odoyle RULES (2-2) v. RelientK (0-4)	odoyle RULES	---	RelientK	odoyle RULES	odoyle RULES	odoyle RULES
Spider Pig (2-2) v. JUSTINA OWNS (4-0)	JUSTINA OWNS	---	Spider Pig	Spider Pig	JUSTINA OWNS	JUSTINA OWNS
Rainbow Warriors (4-0) v. JohnKasay#1 (1-3)	Rainbow Warriors	---	Rainbow Warriors	John- Kasay#1	Rainbow Warriors	Rainbow Warriors
THE Pain Train (1-3) v. aaronisyourdaddy (2-2)	aaronis- yourdaddy	---	aaronis- yourdaddy	aaronis- yourdaddy	aaronis- yourdaddy	aaronis- yourdaddy
Terrific Tortoises (2-2) v. what's poppin slime (2-2)	what's poppin slime	---	what's poppin slime	what's poppin slime	Terrific Tortoises	Terrific Tortoises
Last week's record	(3-2)	(2-3)	(2-3)	(1-4)	(4-1)	(4-1)
Overall record	(15-5)	(9-6)	(5-5)	(5-5)	(4-1)	(4-1)

(Not sure about how Luke's doing his predictions, soo.. left it out).

Week 5 - and i'm pissed.

I did a horrible job as well predicting last week's match-ups (although I was close with Justina & Tim) Chubs really just got lucky.. I hope her QB and one of her RB's gets put on IR this week. that should make up for it.

I shall keep this week's predictions short because I did all that analyzing last week and it did not turn out well. If I do better this week, I shall give more detail for next week.


JohnKasay#1 vs Rainbow Warriors
This is the week my team FINALLY puts it all together. THAT'S RIGHT! I can feel it! Jeff is going down.
Prediction: JohnKasay#1 by 5.2


odoyle RULES vs RelientK
Tim wins this week. I can't believe his Def could not get just one stinkin lousy sack in the last 5 mins of play.. I could have been right. Again, Chubs got lucky. This will be close but Laura will be the unlucky one this week.
Prediction: odoyle RULES by 6.8


Spider Pig vs JUSTINA OWNS
Luke got lucky against me last week. If it weren't for that dog killer Vick, and his friend Desean "I'm a thug" Jackson, I would have won.. bitter? yes. because I would have beat over half the league if I played them with my 115 last week. Unfortunately, the Eagles will fly high this week. But I'm also kinda glad Justina will lose because she also got lucky. Lose/lose situation here.
Prediction: Spider Pig by 9.3


THE Pain Train vs aaronisyourdaddy
Gabs' team was already sorry enough with Andre Johnson as the only viable option outside of McFadden. I don't even need to look at Aaron's team because I see that Gabs has Curtis Painter as his starting QB. I wouldn't be surprised if Gabs' total score this week is LOWER than his total last week of 43.72. LOL
Prediction: aaronisyourdaddy by 60.7


Terrific Tortoises vs what's poppin slime
Davin Li's team is horrible in just about... oh who am I kidding? It IS horrible in every position. I honestly have no idea how he's 2-2. D LiN wins this week easily. Foster goes off and he actually starts him this week.
Prediction: what's poppin slime by 17.4

If you don't already watch The League, you're missing out. MJD looks like a baller in the video clip above.

WEEK 5 Predictions!

what’s poppin slime (2-2) vs Terrific Tortoises (2-2)

My record for predictions sucks right now, so I'm just going to say that David will win so that I'll get the tally for the correct prediction either way. Right?

In all seriousness, I think that it will be fairly close. The thing that pushes it in my favor, for now anyway, is the fact that he has no defense. I think the extra 8 or so points I get from mine will make the difference. WRs are in my favor with the addition of Nicks, but he wins the QB battle by a mile. I'm not sold on Chris Johnson until he has two good games in a row and I think that Blount has a horrible matchup this week against SF, the league's best rushing defense. With Andre Johnson gone, Foster will be the feature piece in the offense and net somewhere around 30 touches. Brees and Owen Daniels will definitely help keep things really close.

What's poppin slime by 8

odoyle RULES (2-2) vs RelientK (0-4)

The return of Colston full time to the Saints will really hurt Moore's value. That being said, Denarius Moore is no king of consistency either, playing on a Raider's offense that features the run. Therefore, the WRs are a tossup. QBs are pretty even, although I could see Newton getting a lot more work because of how far behind Carolina will be playing from. The Giants could score quickly against the Seahawks and then salt away the win with the running game, leaving Eli constantly handing the ball off to Bradshaw. McCoy has a fantastic matchup, but Turner has a brutal one with GB. Atlanta's defense is awful, so I could see the Hawks getting behind in a hurry in this one. RBs are in Laura's favor still, as Turner and Bradshaw together should be able to produce enough. I really want Laura to win, so I pick her... I guess I should've just started with that and left out the analysis hah.

Relient K by 12

Rainbow Warriors (4-0) vs JohnKasay#1 (1-3)

Jeff's team is stronger across the board.

Rainbow Warriors by 23

Spider Pig (2-2) vs JUSTINA OWNS (4-0)

I think if Justina is to lose at all this season, this will be the week. Luke has great matchups for his QB, WRs, and TE, while Justina is missing a huge portion of her points in Ray Rice. Having to plug in Garcon doesn't help her case either. It'll be close, but I think Luke may actually pull this out, riding Vick's new sense of urgency and his team's matchups this week.

Spider Pig by 5

THE Pain Train (1-3) vs aaronisyourdaddy (2-2)

If Gabs doesn't switch out Johnson, it'll make it tough for him to overcome Aaron's team. The addition of Fred Jackson to his team makes it the favorite over Gab's team. Sproles has been surprisingly consistent as well, netting Aaron roughly 12 pts a week. Rodgers, Jackson, and his strong advantage at WR will carry Aaron past Gabs.

aaronisyourdaddy by 17

Laura Makes Predictions, Justina Agrees - Week 5

You know the drill, Laura does all the analysis in black, and I add snarky, unhelpful commentary in green.


RelientK (0-4) vs. odoyle rules (2-2)

My team continues its streak... and win or lose, Cam puts up good numbers. But you know what, Tim? I get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday AND do it all over again next month too. So I'm the real winner here :)

Winner: odoyle rules | odoyle rules (Sorry Laura!)


Spider Pig (2-2) vs. JUSTINA OWNS (4-0)

Justina will continue her unbeaten streak because she's way prettier than Luke.
OH MY GOSH I'm blushing.  And I agree, suck it Gay-el.

Winner: JUSTINA OWNS | JUSTINA OWNS AGAIN


Rainbow Warriors (4-0) vs. John Kasay#1 (1-3)

No competition here - the hottest team versus the ugliest. I don't think I need to explain.
Agreed.  And this way, Jeffrey can keep me company at the top, WHAT 5-0 HERE WE COME.  Like Hawaii.  Hawaii 5-0.  I did a lot of dissections today, and I think I'm tripping on paraformaldehyde.  By the way, want to hear about what it's like to go to London Fashion Week on acid?  Yeah, you do.

Winner: Rainbow Warriors | Rainbow Warriors



THE Pain Train (1-3) vs. aaronisyourdaddy (2-2)

The Colts are terrible, Andre Johnson is out, and there are 4 potential TEs on Gabs' roster. On the other hand, I'm not so impressed with Aaron's team, BUT maybe Aaron Rodgers will carry his team to victory again... 40 points this time?
I didn't realize Gabs had 4 TEs.  I wonder what he's planning on doing with them... Most likely world domination?  Also, did you guys notice that no teams are 3-1?  What does that mean?? So many questions!

Winner: aaronisyourdaddy | aaronisyourdaddy



Terrific Tortoises (2-2) vs. what's poppin slime (2-2)

Battle of the Davids! I think this will be close. The Tortoises are gonna slow their roll and slime will do better, especially when starting Arian Foster. So that should average around 100 points each. I'm picking David Li because of Drew Brees, CJ and Owen Daniels. Oh and Dwayne Bowe, whoever he is.
I at least agree that it's a close match, and I guess that means I have to support my roommate.  Speaking of whom, did you maybe get my message about Stafford? INCEPTION!

Winner: Terrific Tortoises | Terrific Tortoises

Tim's Predictions - Week 5

Here's how the predictions panned out last week. I'll have a summary table when the other predictions come up.

	Tim	Luke	David Lin	Eric	Laura	Justina
Last week's record	(3-2)	(2-3)	(2-3)	(1-4)	(4-1)	(4-1)
Overall record	(15-5)	(9-6)	(5-5)	(5-5)	(4-1)	(4-1)

Laura and Justina start their first week of predictions strong, while the others don't pan out so well.  On to the predictions!

Tim's predictions - Week 5:

-Besides arguably the WR position, I like my players over Laura's.  Nah-nah-ni-boo-boo.  And now I'm probably going to lose.  But my official prediction is that I win.

-Justina and Luke's teams match up pretty well this week except at RB.  Justina wins that category, hence the game.  Cruisin' on to 5-0.

-Jeff wins - enough said.

-Both of Gabs's QBs are out, thus he has to pick up some patchwork QB for the week, plus Andre Johnson is out.  Let's just hope Aaron's team shows up to capitalize on Gabs's loss.  Aaron's team wins only due to Gabs's team's dismal condition.

-David v. David.  Ha Ha.  With Arian Foster back and more strength at the WR spot, David has a leg up against David.  Wait, so who's going to win, David or David?  David, obviously.  Ok, ok.  But for realz though - David L. is going to win.  No, even better, David Li--...?  Ok, lame.  But I thought it was funny for a moment there.  What's poppin slime wins.

Perfect representation of how I felt after week 4's games. I'm in no mood to talk about ff this week, so this will be much shorter than in previous weeks.

Power Rankings - Week 5

1. Rainbow Warriors (4-0) – Was still able to score over 100 pts with a lackluster effort from his RBs. His team just upsets me. Hopefully Brady and Welker will get into a lover’s quarrel and stop their bromance on the field.

2. JUSTINA OWNS (4-0) – Close win for the J team. Fitzpatrick is allowed to have a couple of off days. He will bounce back in a big way I’m sure. I mean the man is a Harvard graduate.

3. odoyle RULES (2-2) - The loss of Hightower as a dependable go to guy is huge for Tim. Once his running backs hit their bye weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts.

4. what's poppin slime (2-2) - I don’t want to talk about it

5. Terrific Tortoises (2-2) – The Bucs look like legitimate contenders and the Titans are going to need Johnson to produce for them to continue their hot streak. All this equals big numbers from those two. Tack on Drew Brees and two active receivers on bad teams in Bowe and Harvin, and you have a team that can contend. And, with a trade or two, his team can only get better.

6. aaronisyourdaddy (2-2) –Rodgers proves what he can do to defenses. With Nicks and Lloyd finally 100%, Aaron is looking at a surge in the upcoming weeks. Spotty RB play will keep his team from being elite however.

7. Spider Pig (2-2) – Team with legitimate wide receivers but with some truly inconsistent RBs. When Jahvid Best does well, Luke will have a good day. But he will struggle to win without consistent RB points.

8. JohnKasay#1 (1-3) - The Steelers have been horrendous, which really limit Wallace’s potential. Beanie Wells will not produce like that on a week to week basis and Holmes has been a real disappointment.

9. THE Pain Train (1-3) – Loss of Johnson really hurts his team, even more so than when Justina lost Britt. The combination of Romo, Finley, and McFadden may help him win some games, but his team’s outlook is bleak.

10. Relient K (0-4) – Had a good scoring week last week, but still was not able to pull off the win. Has yet to win a game, so last place is by default.