Playoff Predictions: Final Round (Tim vs. Andrew)

Both Tim and Andrew are looking for their first FF championship. Will Tim's dominance continue  this week? Or will Andrew pull off the upset?

This is for Jordy (10-3) vs. Unicorn Queen (9-4)

QB: Cam Newton is going to win the MVP this year. Another five touchdowns last week, and it looked effortless. Two other things to consider: 1) the Panthers play the Falcons this week, a team they trashed two weeks ago and 2) the Panthers need one more win to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, so Cam and co will be motivated.

If Andrew has any hope of pulling off an upset here, he's going to need another great day from Kirk Cousins. Last week Cousins had 4 TDs against Buffalo. This week he has a savory matchup against Philly. Cousins is very capable of matching Newton point for point next week, but I still have to give Tim the edge here.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

WR: All of Tim's WRs have great matchups this week. Allen Robinson is up against a New Orleans defense that looked like it couldn't stop anybody last week. Martavis Bryant is on a potent Steelers offense that faces the beat up Baltimore Ravens. And Maclin has a great matchup against Cleveland.

In Andrew's corner, he's got Brandon Marshall, who's been playing pretty darn well the last couple weeks. At WR #2, he's got Tyler Lockett who is averaging 7 targets a game and a TD over the last three week. Finally at WR #3, Andrew's got Tedd Ginn Jr. Cam Newton seems to favor throwing to Ginn, so I expect Ginn to get a bunch of points this week. The more yards and TDs he gets, the more he offsets Cam Newton.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

RB: My only regret in drafting David Johnson was that he didn't get more opportunities earlier in the season. I knew he was going to be really good when I drafted him, but what I didn't know was when he was going to emerge. Congrats Tim on landing a stud at RB. You are going to ride David Johnson all the way to the championship. As for Lamar Miller, I can't seem to wrap my head around him. Some weeks he plays awesome, and other weeks he does absolutely nothing. If I were you Tim, I would consider starting Denard or White instead. Both are much more consistent options. I personally like White. Brady's got to give the ball to someone, and it looks like he trusts White as his new Dion Lewis receiving back.

Andrew's going to need AP and Gurley to blow up this week if he wants to keep up with Tim. The Vikings are still in the playoff hunt, so I expect AP to go full force against a soft NY Giants defense. Gurley is also going strong but facing a tough Seattle front seven.

This one was tough, but I'm going to give Andrew the slight edge here. Two steady RBs > 1 awesome RB. It's unlikely David Johnson will have another 3 TD day against Green Bay, and I'll take the proven Gurly over the shaky Miller any day.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

TE: Jordan Reed is the top receiving option on a Redskins team that controls its own destiny. He regularly scores 18+ per game. Olsen has been averaging a solid 10 FF points a game in a high-powered Carolina offense. This matchup goes to Andrew.

Advantage: This is for Jordy 

K/DEF: Kansas City is playing out of its mind right now on defense. Over the last three weeks, it has scored a minimum of 14 points. This week KC faces an awful Cleveland team quarterbacked by the inexperienced, "I don't know what I'm doing in the NFL" Manziel. Meanwhile, Andrew's taking a gamble on Miami's defense this week. This is the same Miami defense that allowed a hapless San Diego team to drop 30 points on it.

Cantanzaro is on a roll right now but so is Gano. The kicker matchup is too close to call.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

Winner: Unicorn Queen
Was there ever any doubt? Barring any major setback, I expect Tim's team to win the championship.

Playoff Predictions: Semifinal Round (Andrew vs. Eric)

I haven't peeped the SNF game, so I believe my prediction is fairly unbiased.

This is for Jordy (10-3) vs. JULIOthinkyouare?! (8-5)

Yahoo says that Andrew and Eric are pretty evenly matched this week. I disagree. I think Andrew is the clear favorite here.

QB: Andrew's got Fitzpatrick, and Eric's got Russell, who's been the best QB in the game the past four weeks. Nothing against Fitzpatrick, but I got to go with Wilson here. He plays Cleveland this week. It doesn't get easier than that.

Advantage: JULIOthinkyouare?!

WR: Andrew's got Marshall, Fitzgerald, and Tyler Lockett. Marshall has been on fire right now, and I expect him to keep it up against the Cowboys. Fitzgerald has averaged double digit targets the last four out of five weeks, but unfortunately these targets haven't translated into FF points. He's also losing more and more scoring looks to the younger Brown and Floyd. If I were Andrew, I would strongly consider playing Ginn instead. He's a home run threat every single time Newton tosses him the ball and should be a top 5 FF WR if he had hands. Finally, Lockett was a smart pickup on Andrew's part. He's been a big beneficiary of Wilson's inspired play, and any points he gets will offset Wilson's effectiveness from a FF perspective.

Eric's got Julio, TY Hilton, and Devante Adams--none of which blow me away right now. Julio continues to get a buttload of targets but hasn't scored since like Week 8. I blame Matt Ryan and the fact that Atlanta doesn't look for Julio in the endzone. Hilton is facing the same situation in Indy with Matt Hasselbeck at the helm. Finally, Adams isn't even registering in some games. I'm not sure why Eric continues to play him, but I guess he sees something in Adamas that I don't. Or he doesn't care at this point.

I like Andrew's WRs here. They're more reliable at the end of the day.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

RB: Eric's got Doug Martin and LeSean McCoy in his corner. Both are as solid as they come. McCoy doesn't have as much upside as AP or Gurley, but Doug Martin can hit 20+ points every now and then.

The Vikings are still in the playoff hunt and facing a weak Bears defense. AP should have a good week as long as the Vikings give him the ball. Same with Gurley. I was little worried about how he would play last week given his recent slump, but his performance last week convinced me that he is still worth starting. Andrew's RBs are just more talented at the end of the day.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

TE: Eifert left last week's game with a concussion. I don't expect him to play much. Plus, he's got AJ McCarron delivering him the ball. Reed has been as steady as they come. Andrew's got the clear edge here.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

K/DEF: Normally, I would pick Carolina over Green Bay in a heartbeat; however, I think Eli Manning and the Giants are going to give the Panthers some trouble this Sunday. Neither defense stands out to me this week.

At the kicker position, Cantazaro is outplaying Tucker. The Ravens have hit hard times with so many guys going down.

I'm going to chalk this one up to a tie. Carolina should outplay GB, and Cantazaro should outplay Tucker.

Advantage: Tie

Winner: This is for Jordy

Andrew's depth at WR, RB, and TE should offset anything Wilson puts up.

Playoff Predictions: Semifinal Round (Tim vs. David Lin)

Unicorn Queen (9-4) vs. Ruh Rawl ( (9-4)

Yahoo puts Tim's chances of winning at 68%. I disagree. I think the matchup is a lot closer than that. Tim is still the favorite, but I put his chances at closer to 55%.

QB: Tim's got Cam Newton in his corner. Over the last four weeks, he has thrown for 13 touchdowns and 1 interception. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Panthers benched him early last week to protect him, and if the Panthers build an early lead again, they may look to bench him again. This could be bad if all the Panthers' TDs come from defense, special teams, and the running game. Seems doubtful but still a possibility. The Panthers also play the Giants this week who have a reputation of being giant killers. I predict the game will be more defensive-minded affair with the final score in the 20s. Cam won't explode again for 5 TDs, but I can see a solid 2-3 TDs.

For David Lin, Bortles has been stellar -- throwing for 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the same time span. In fact, he's outscored Cam two out of these four weeks. That's the good news. The bad news is that Bortles had a very slow start last week before kicking it into high gear in the second half. Is this something that David Lin should worry about? I doubt it. Plus, Bortles has a great matchup against a reeling Atlanta Falcons team. The Panthers dropped 38 points on them. I expect 2-3 TDs from Bortles too.

I've got to give Cam the slight edge here, but I doubt this matchup will be the difference maker in the long run.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

WR: David Lin has a lot of momentum right now at WR. All of his players are peaking at the right time. In my opinion, OBJ has reached matchup-proof status. Sure, he's got a tough matchup this week against Carolina (and will probably have Norman shadowing him all game), but I still think he's going to get his. Watkins is also on a tear right now. He and Tyrod are finally healthy. He's getting a lot of targets, and the Bills are still in the playoff hunt. All of these signs point to another strong week from Watkins. Hurns returned last week and made a big splash. He's got a good matchup against Atlanta.

Now let's take a look at Tim's WRs. Maclin has been hit or miss all season long. The weeks that he's on, he's been amazing. The weeks that he's not on, he does nothing. Which Maclin is going to show up this week? I think the good Maclin shows up this week. After Maclin, Tim's got Martavis Bryant who has a tough matchup against Denver. He was playing well until his let down last week. I expect his numbers to be below average because it's Denver. Finally, Tim's got Allen Robinson who has been fairly darn consistent the last couple of weeks. The more points Robinson gets, the more he offsets Bortles effectiveness.

Tim is capable of matching David Lin stride for stride at WR, but I just don't expect all three of them to have a good week.

Advantage: Ruh Rawl (

RB: Tim's got the advantage at RB. Lamar Miller gets San Diego this week and is coming off a 2 TD performance against the Giants. David Johnson has been as steady as they come.

David Lin's got Tim Hightower and Fozzy Whittaker. They are both risks although well worth the plays considering the situation. Hightower is the only one toting the ball in NOLA and played well last week. Whittaker has the potential to be the #1 ballcarrier in Carolina this week with Stewart nursing an injury, but I'm a little wary that the Panthers may mix him in with Artis-Payne and Tolbert.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

TE: Olsen had an injury scare last week (knee), and now I'm concerned the Panthers are going to limit him next week. Walker has been chipping in a solid 10+ points a game for the last 4 straight weeks. He's also Mariota's top WR (double digit targets). Got to go with Walker here.

Advantage: Ruh Rawl (

K/DEF: Kansas City has outplayed Denver two out of the past four weeks and has a great matchup against a weak Baltimore offense. Denver has gotten better the last two weeks but now faces the potent Steelers offense.

The past two weeks it's been TD galore for the Panthers, limiting the number of field goal opportunities Gano has received. I expect Gano to bounce back this week. Prater had a bad showing last week but should have plenty of opportunities next week against the Saints.

This one's too close to call.

Advantage: Tie

Winner: Ruh Rawl (
Oh, this was tough. It came down to whether or not I believed David Lin's WR/TE would outplay Tim's RBs. The answer was yes. I don't think all of Tim's WRs will have a good week nor do I expect Olsen to play much. David Lin for the upset.

Beginning of Week 14 Thoughts

1) Last week seeding held, resulting in rather uninteresting matchups where every higher ranked team pummeled the snot out of the lower ranked team they were matched up against.

This week things get a lot more interesting. For one thing, the four strongest teams have made it to the semifinals due in large part to red hot play at the QB position. Don't believe me? Guess who the top QBs in FF have been the over the last four weeks.

Yep, it's Wilson, Newton, Fitzpatrick, and Bortles.

And guess who owns these four QBs? The four teams left standing.

2) On another note, my overall predictions record this season is 12-4. Not too shabby if you ask me.

3) The injuries keep affecting teams deep in the playoffs. Last week the two biggest injuries were to Rawls (David Lin) and Andy Dalton (Abraham). After Dalton went down, Abraham watched his championship dreams go up in smoke.

4) Sometimes the best offense is a little bit of defense. Am I right Tim? Over the last three weeks, Tim has hit the waiver wire hard to a) shore up his weakness at RB and b) prevent David Lin from doing what he does best--picking up free agents off the waiver wire and milking them for what their worth. This week he picked up Denard Robinson and Bryce Brown. The week before that he traded Melvin Gordon in for James White, and the week before that he picked up David Johnson. That's 5 new RBs in three weeks. It looks like Tim's got plenty of depth at his weakest position to carry him through the remainder of the playoffs.

5) On a related note, it's going to be interesting to see who emerges out of the Seattle and Carolina backfields this week. Will it be Bryce Brown owned by Tim? Or Christine Michael owned by David Lin? Or Fred Jackson who is currently a free agent?

6) Who knew that the biggest threat to the NFL's existence would be the risk of concussions/head trauma? If had a kid, there's no way I would let him play the game. Sports Illustrated recently published an interesting article on the new movie coming out and former NFL players' reactions to it. It's pretty damning if you ask me.

7) Another short article on Cam Newton by Deadspin.

Playoff Predictions: Round 1

Sorry folks for the late post. I wrote most of this before the TNF game, so just take 'em for what they're worth.

1) Unicorn Queen (9-4) vs. Spider Pig (6-7)

Luke's got more of a shot than you think. I rate his chance of an upset at 33%.

QB: This one is a lot closer than it looks. Brees is more than capable of matching Newton yard for yard and TD for TD, and he has a decent match-up against TB. I still got to give Cam the edge here.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

WR: The WR match-up is close too. Antonio is the best of the bunch, but Robinson is more than capable of matching his production. You got to take Antonio though. Demaryius is a bit more hit or miss than Martavius but has a weak Oakland defense. I prefer Evans to the unpredictable Cooks. Get this though. If Brees plays well so does Cooks by default.

Advantage: Spider Pig

RB: Javorius Allen is playing like a true #1 after taking over for Forsett but faces Seattle defense this week. Ivory, on the other hand, has been shaky as of late but has a good matchup against Tennessee. Tim's got the flashy David Johnson on his side, and the slumping Lamar Miller. Johnson and Miller should pull it out for Tim.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

TE: Olsen is more consistent than Kelce. Luke will need a bit of luck on his side to keep pace at the TE position. Luckily, Kelce is playing San Diego this week.

Advantage: Unicorn Queen

K/DEF: Gano > Barth. KC Defense > Ind Defense. Tim has the clear advantage.

Advantage:  Unicorn Queen

Winner: Unicorn Queen

Tim should win this one, but I think it's going to be closer than the seeding suggests.

2) David's Team (9-4) vs. This is for Jordy (10-3)

QB: Tanehill was shaky against a weak Baltimore defense last week, but he's capable of putting up points as he has shown in the past. Winston has stepped up his play the last 3 weeks. I like Winston here.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

WR: David's WRs need to produce in order for him to pull off the upset this week. Cooper is up against a stifling Denver defense, so I'm not expecting much out of him. Amendola and Baldwin are sneaky good plays. Amendola is one of the only ones left standing in New England, and Baldwin is benefiting big time from a rejuvenated Russell Wilson. For Andrew, he's got the red hot and dependable Marshall. Fitz has been slumping a little, but luckily Cecil Shorts has picked up the slack. David Li has the slight edge here.

Advantage: David's Team

RB: This is a very interesting match-up. Yeldon and Draughn have the potential to outplay AP and Gurley this week. Both of Andrew's RBs have been stifled by weak QB play and terrible coaching decisions. Will AP + Gurley get the ball enough to make a difference? Will they continue to face loaded boxes? I'm a little worried that Gurley is going to falter for the third straight game due to the lack of playmakers around him. If David Li gets 20 out of Yeldon and Draughn (which is very possible), then I could see him pulling off the upset. 

Advantage: David's Team

TE: It's Julius Thomas vs. Scott Chandler here. Chandler is a bit more consistent and will get plenty of targets from Brady. Thomas is hit or miss.

Advantage: This is for Jordy

K/DEF: It's Cincy's kicker and defense versus Arizona's kicker + Green Bay's defense. I am not expecting much out of either defense. Cincy is playing the Steelers this week, and Green Bay has not been playing well.
Advantage: Tie

Winner: This is for Jordy

If there is going to be an upset this week, it's going to be this matchup. I'm still going to pick Andrew here primarily because of his record and consistent play. David Li's team has not been consistent all season, but he has some pretty decent matchups this week to give Andrew a scare.

3) 1-800-Hopkins-BLING (6-7) vs. Rawls! I'm a TIGER (9-4)

QB: Bortles should outplay Stafford here, but Stafford should put up a good 20+ points regardless. Bortles has more upside.

Advantage: Rawls! I'm a TIGER

WR: This one's close. Hopkins and DeSean are both solid plays, while Landry has been a bit up and down. Last week he has the worst game of his career. I expect more from his this week. Meanwhile, Odell is playing out of his mind right now. Same with Sammy Watkins who has a good match-up against a weak Philly defense. Hurns is back from concussion and should put up a solid 10 against a weak Indy defense. 

Advantage: Tie

RB: This one's easy to call. David Lin has Rawls who is blowing up. Meanwhile, Justina has Ingram (on IR) and Riddick (who scored 3 points last week).

Advantage: Rawls! I'm a TIGER

TE: Rudolph is a poor substitute for Gronk. Walker is the better play here, and it's not even close.

Advantage: Rawls! I'm a TIGER

K/DEF: Houston's defense has played better lately, but it and Crosby won't be enough to match Denver defense + Prater.
Advantage: Rawls! I'm a TIGER

Winner: Rawls! I'm a TIGER

David Lin by a mile.

4) Di Yi (7-5) vs. JULIOthinkyouare?! (9-4)

QB: Dalton has been a steady play all year long, while Wilson is on fire. I'll take the rejuvenated Wilson this week against a weak Baltimore defense.

Advantage: JULIOthinkyouare?!

WR: Julio hasn't scored a TD in 5-6 weeks now, while AJ has 3 TDs in the past two weeks. Hilton and Devante are slumping too. Sanders and Jeffery haven't been playing up to their potential as of late, but I trust them to put more points than Eric's WR#2 and #3.

Advantage: Di Yi

RB: DeAngelo is a great RB#1, but Abraham has a hole at his RB#2 position. Hillman is the weak link for him. Shady and Martin are both capable of scoring in bunches.

Advantage: JULIOthinkyouare?!

TE: Witten vs. Tamme is a toss up. Both won't make a big impact.

Advantage: Tie

K/DEF: Gostkowski vs. Tucker, and Arizona defense vs. Carolina defense. Gostkowski hasn't been scoring as much lately, while Tucker has been going strong. Arizona is up against a beatable Minnesota offense, and Carolina laid an egg last week. It's tough to say.
Advantage: Tie

Winner: JULIOthinkyouare?!
Eric should win it based on the matchups. The only way Abraham wins is if all his WRs go off.

Beginning of Week 12 Thoughts

1) Congrats to Tim! His four year playoff drought is finally over!

2) I have another theory as to why Tim hasn't made the playoffs the last four years. In addition to spending too much time blogging, every year he picks a bunch of Panthers players who typically fail to live up to expectations. This year it's obviously different. 11-0 baby. #keepingpounding

3) Why are the Panthers playing so well this season? It has to do with Cam Newton's maturation at the QB position. He's got much better at dissecting defenses and throwing on the run. "The evolution of our offense," head coach Ron Rivera says, "has been as much the evolution of Cam. Well worth the read if you're a diehard Panthers fan.

4) Poor Tony Romo. He rushes back to the field from a collarbone injury to help a team that was probably not going to make the playoffs try and qualify for the playoffs. He gets rewarded with another collarbone injury.

5) There's some chatter now in Dallas about the team moving on from Tony Romo. He has hasn't been the perfect picture of health. In fact, one look at his wikipedia page reveals the crazy amount of injuries he's dealt with ever since he entered the league. I have to commend him on being a warrior and going out there week in and week out, but something's gotta give concerning his body. He's broken his left clavicle now three times. Crazy.

6) The injuries keep on piling up to a point where the NFL is becoming somewhat unwatchable. Some of the notable injuries from Week 12 included Big Ben (concussion), Jimmy Graham (rupture right patellar tendon), Gronk (bruised knee), Allen Hurns (concussion), Chris Johnson (broken tibula), Josh McCown (broken collarbone), and Tony Romo (broken collarbone). Add in Peyton (foot), Flacco (ACL, MCL tears), Forsett (broken arm), Freeman (concussion), Martellus Bennett (ribs), Willie Snead (knee), and Lynch (hernia), etc over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure I'm missing some others.

7) Continuing on this point, I'm starting to recognize less and less players once the stars go down. After Flacco went down last week, I was surprised to see that Matt Schaub was playing in his place. Like Hasselbeck, I thought he had been out of the league for two years now.

8) Is it just me? Or do we really have to pay closer attention to the waiver wire this year? Last year most of the best waiver pickups were gone by Week 4. This year it seems like there's a good waiver wire pick up every week. Why is this?

Two thoughts:
a) The alarming injury rate. Every week it seems like another star player goes down.
b) The NFL's new concussion protocol. With the NFL taking head injuries more seriously these days, there's less pressure among players to rush back to the field. It's now more and more likely that a player sits at least two or three weeks if they have a concussion. Ask Luke Kuechly. He sat for a month.

9) Since I am out of the playoff hunt now, I will now start offering free, unsolicited advice on who to pick up off the waiver wire. This was something I was reluctant to do before given my desire to also pick up these players.

Here are my waiver wire picks for Week 12:
a) David Johnson. He's well worth the buy with Ellington out at least a week and Johnson out for the season. He has the potential to take over starting duties even with Ellington back. Get him. He's good.
b) Scott Chandler. He's good for at least a week with Gronk out. Brady's got to throw the ball to somebody, and he's running out of options.
c) Doug Baldwin. He's come on strong the past 2/3 weeks due in part to the resurgence of Russell Wilson. 19 points in Week 10, and 32 points in Week 12.
d) Ryan Fitzpatrick. Worth a hard look given his showing last week. He's good for 18 points a game on average.
e) Brock Osweiler. Played well last week but it only translated into 15 FF points. Next week he plays the porous SD DEF. Worth the spot play.
f) Washington DEF. They play Dallas next week. Well worth the spot play in Week 12.
g) Vance McDonald. Worth a flyer at TE. He's score 10+ points the past two weeks. Gabbert's got to throw to somebody when he's in trouble.
h) Shaun Draughn. Former UNC alum. If you are desperate at RB, he may be worth picking up. His ceiling is probably 8-9 points.
i) Ryan Tanehill. He's had 18+ points the past three weeks against soft competition. Last week he hit 28 points. Not the biggest fan, but next week he plays a soft Baltimore DEF. Worth a one week flyer.

Here's who I would avoid:
a) Markus Wheaton. He had a great game last week, but I don't think he is going to keep up this type of play. Wheaton benefited from Sherman smothering Antonio Brown all game long. Should Landry play in Big Ben's place next week, don't expect Wheaton to get too many looks. Landry seems to prefer Bryant more.
b) Kyle Rudolph. I don't trust Bridgewater. He seems to have regressed some.
c) Devante Parker. Had a good performance last week. Still don't trust Tanehill or the Miami offense all that much. Plus, he's a rookie.

Jeff's Week 12 Power Rankings

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts. I'll try to get back on it this week.

1) This is for Jordy (9-3)

The injury bug has finally caught up with Andrew. With Edelman and Allen out and Rivers slumping badly (poor guy has no WRs!),  Andrew's team is starting to show signs of weakness. That being said, he's got a good core in Marshall, Fitz, AP, Gurley, and Reed--which still makes him the team to beat. Cousins/Winston are good replacements (with Rivers banished to the waiver wire) and Cecil Shorts has proven himself as a good short term find. Consistency wins championships in FF, and Andrew's team remains the most consistent one in our league.

I also really like Andrew's chances in the playoffs. If you look at his roster, he's got a bunch of players who are on teams (Houston, NY Jets, Green Bay, Washington, and Minnesota) that are all still in the thick of the playoff hunt. That means zero risk of his players being rested in anticipation of the playoffs.

2) JULIOdoyouthinkyouare?! (8-4)

In the lead up to Week 9, Eric looked at his roster stuffed with talent (4 solid RBs, 2 good defenses--none worth dropping), saw who was on bye (Wilson and Tucker), saw who he was playing (Aaron Chou), said to himself "ah what the heck", and decided to leave his kicker and WR#3 spots open. After Eifert put up 23+ points on TNF, his decision was looking pretty good. But then Sunday rolled around, and Aaron's team put up just enough points to possibly steal the win. This made Eric nervous, so he  plugged Inman into his lineup at WR#3. Inman did nothing, but he still walked away with the win.

In Week 10, Eric did the same thing again, but this time it looked like he really wasn't even trying. In his defense though, he had a lot of players on bye (Julio, Hilton, and Inman). If there was any week for Eric to take an L, it was this week. Well played strategic move on Eric's part, but it also may have costed him the regular championship + money. It's ok. It's all about the long play--the playoff championships.

In Weeks 11 and 12, Eric's team returned back to form and is starting to look like a very very dangerous team. Tucker, Carolina DEF, Eric's stable of RBs, Julio, and Hilton have been steady plays all year long. Add in Russell Wilson, who has finally turned things around in a big way, Inman whose role grows each week in San Diego's offense, and Eric's got himself one heck of a team.

3) Unicorn Queen (8-4)

Tim's team is looking really really really good these days (minus his performance last week), and it's all thanks to the phenomenal play of the Panthers. As long as Cam Newton and company #keepingpounding, Tim's team will #keepwinning. I was super tempted to rank Tim #2 this week after a bunch of solid showings the last couple of weeks, but then his team came out flat this week. He's still got huge question marks at RB in Miller/Gordon/Hyde/Matthews, but he seems to be getting enough production from other players to keep winning. 

Three additional thoughts on Tim's team:

1) Tim's weakness at RB will likely be his downfall in the playoffs.

2) Tim better hope that the Panthers keep gunning for an undefeated record. If the Panthers pick up an L at some point, then Rivera may be inclined to start resting some of his starters in Weeks 15-16. No point in risking the health of your $100M QB, especially if history cannot be accomplished and home field advantage is already wrapped up (Panthers have 2 game lead over Arizona). Plus, Derek Anderson is a very capable backup.

3) If both #1 and #2 happen, Tim's team is in trouble come playoff time. 

Yes, I know. It's still a lot of "ifs". I'm pretty sure Tim's team will be fine in the playoffs.

4) Di Yi (7-5)

On paper Abraham's team looks like a championship worthy team. However, the last couple of weeks, it has been anything but--scoring a measly 55 points in Week 10 and a lackluster 74 points in Week 11. His team did better in Week 12 (104 points), but now he's got another hole at RB to fill. With Chris Johnson out with a broken tibia, he will likely insert Hillman into his lineup, giving him just enough firepower to make a deep postseason run. Abraham's still got the best WRs in the game in Jeffery, Sanders, and Green, the best kicker in the game (Gostkowski), the reliable Andy Dalton, and a very solid pickup in DeAngelo Williams at RB. I'm expecting his team to pull an Eric and turn things around this week.

With Abraham still in the mix, there are 4 teams in my opinion who are capable of running the table come playoff time.

5) Grab it like Beckham (8-4)

David Lin has worked his butt off to fix his team (leads the league in waiver wire moves), and it's finally paid off. Rawls and Ware have been great pickups, but the question is how long will they last production-wise? Lynch has to come back at some point. So will Charchandrick West.

That being said, David Lin's team has the potential to be a dark horse in the playoffs. I don't think he has enough to win it all, but I could see him pulling off an upset or two as long as he can get the right players into his lineup at the right time. This means playing the right player in the continually revolving door he has at QB (Bortles vs. Hoyer). This means playing the right WR #2 and WR #3s out of Moncrief, Allen Hurns (concussion), and Watkins. This means playing the right TE out of Gates and Walker. And most importantly, this means playing the right RB out of Ware, CJ, Rawls, Woodhead, and Duke Johnson. That's a lot of "ifs" to figure out, but if anyone has the chops to do it, it's David Lin. He's proven that he can successfully do all season long.

On another note, similar to last year, OBJ is starting to come on strong in the second half of the season. (This seems like the typical plot line for the underachieving New York Giants. Each year they either fall short of making the playoffs or barely make it in. If they make it in, they somehow go on to winning the whole shebang behind Eli's magical, golden arm). This means good things are in store for David Lin from OBJ.

6) 1-800-HOPKINSBLING (5-6)

Every time I write Justina's team off, it surprises me and goes off for a bizillion points. Stafford has really poured it on as of late. Landry, Desean, and Hopkins are all going strong. (Who knew Desean would be this good with Kirk Cousins throwing him the ball? I honestly wrote Desean off two years ago). Mark Ingram has been a steady 9-10 point contributor. Houston defense is experiencing a resurgence. And Theo Riddick is somehow, some way finding ways to score...although I doubt this will last long term. (Fortunately, Justina's got that covered. She's stashed Abdullah and Ellington on her bench. Very smart move). The best news yet though is that Gronk has not suffered a season-ending injury to his knee after going down in Week 12. He'll likely be out next week, but Justina better hope he recovers by Week 14. She'll need him in the playoffs.

7) Spider Pig (6-6)

Luke's team is coming off a five game winning streak. Brees is playing like the Brees of old (except for last week). His WRs are playing decent. Antonio Brown has been playing better with Big Ben back. Mike Evans is benefiting from Winston's inspired play. And Demaryius should get more points as long as Osweiler is throwing him the ball. Add in the shrewd pickup of Javoris Allen to go along with the ever steady Chris Ivory, and Luke should qualify for the playoffs barring any major major setback. That's pretty incredible, considering the position his team was in 6 weeks ago.

8) David's Team (5-7)

David Li's team has not been faring very well as of late, and that has me worried about his playoffs chances. Forsett is gone for the season. Lynch is out at least another game or two. His RB#2, James White, scored 0.60 points last week. One of his WRs, the fragile Amendola, may or may not play next week due to injury. 

Luckily for David Li though, he's matched up against Aaron for a berth to the playoffs, who is also quite literally struggling to keep his team afloat. The question is can he beat Aaron's team? The way I see it, it's going to come down to Rivers (great pickup), Cooper, LaFell, Yeldon, and Julius Thomas (another great pickup) versus Palmer, Decker, DeMarco, and Seattle defense. I like David Li's chances more than I like Aaron's. One of them will make the playoffs, but neither team will last past the first round.

8) Aaron Chou's Team (5-7)

I think Aaron's team has set a record for the most number of injuries this season. He's lost an incredible 4 key players (Dion Lewis, Le'Veon Bell, Steve Smith, and Andrew Luck) to long term injuries. Now he's starting a bunch of flyers like Dwayne Harris, the injured but promising Michael Floyd, Matt Jones, and Brent Celek to fill in the gaps. #lulz. DeMarco has also been struggling a lot as of late too. Other than Palmer and Decker, there's not a whole lot to like about his team right now.

9) I Called Game (4-8)

Duke's team is an example of what could've been. Week 12 gave us yet another glimpse of his team's mouthwatering potential, but for a slew of reasons (bad matchups, injuries, owner indifference), his team never played up to expectations. Even with a win against Luke this week, he won't make the playoffs.

11) 4th and Long (3-9)

Poor Gabs. Even in his good weeks, he still loses. At the end of the day, Gabs just didn't have enough firepower or consistency to win. Freeman is injured. Cobb and Lacy have continued to underachieve all season long. Tyrod Taylor took too long to return to his early season playing ways. Throw in a couple of unlucky matchups, and hence the 3-9 record. It's ok Gabs. There's always next season Gabs. At least that's what I'm telling myself!

12) HAMAJANG (3-9)

Woe is my team. I am out of the playoff hunt. No monies for me this season.