Another Ring for LT

The Monkeys still got it! After a fast start on Sunday, the Monkeys blew the doors open early and ran over the unsuspecting Fobsters for their second franchise championship victory with a 123-77 stomping.

As analysts predicted, the Monkeys needed a fast start and fast they started. Within the first hour, Jamaal Charles scored 2 quick receiving touchdowns while Dwayne Bowe converted a short throw into a 75 yard touchdown run. The 3 early touchdowns proved to be just the shot the Monkeys needed as they cruised to their second title in 5 years.

This victory was all about timing. After a season with very mixed results including weekly lineup changes, injuries to Mathews and Marshall (the key cogs to the Chris Johnson trade), the Monkeys got hot at the right time. Sealing up their 4th straight win, the Monkeys found a dominant defense in the Pats which scored 18 and 14 points in the playoffs and a resurgent Brandon Marshall (who posted consecutive 10+ catch and 100+ yard days.

The rest of the team was business as usual. Led by Charles who had 120 total yards to go with 2 touchdowns (24 points) and Bowe (152 yards and a touchdown good for 25 points), the Monkeys saw a balanced attack.

The Monkeys even got some help from the Fobsters. The Fobsters drew first blood on Saturday with Jason Witten, David Buehler and Cowboys D. Capitalizing on a tasty matchup against the Cards, GM Jimmy signed and started Buehler (K) and the Cowboys D. It worked – kind of. Witten had another solid day with 14 pts and Buehler chipped in with 9 points. However, the much vaunted Cowboys DST laid a major egg. They gave up 27 points and 270 yards to the Cards yielding 1 fantasy point. On Sunday, it was basically the Tom Brady (26 points) and Mike Williams (17 points) show. No one else showed up. Megatron was held to 7 points and last minute sub, Brian Westbrook, gained only 5 points. The Fobsters finished the afternoon with a thud as Mike Tolbert, who’s been solid all year, fumbled and got knocked out of the game. He finished with -2.

All this meant a gift-wrapped victory for the Monkeys who put up their 6th 100+ scoring day of the year and their 4th straight win to cap off a rather un-Monkey like season. “To get this in my first year as the starting QB of the Monkeys is awesome,” said Philip Rivers who finished with a relatively quiet 16 points. “We have some unbelievable talent and my gut tells me that we’re going to be around for awhile. Roddy, Brandon and Dwayne are terrific receivers and I am fortunate to be throwing to them.”

“Winning never gets old,” said GM Evan. “It’s been an interesting year but I believe that our core roster is as strong as ever. We lost great players in Peyton Manning and Chris Johnson but I truly believe that our team is as strong as ever. Philip had an MVP year – even Peyton-like. Jamaal really stepped up this year. Without CJ and with the injuries to Ryan Mathews, he truly was the team MVP. He was a rock each week and is now an elite player in this league. I also loved what I saw out of Roddy White, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Bowe. Those are elite receivers and paired with Philip, we have an outstanding roster. One thing that needs to be mentioned was the importance of retaining LaDainian. He was so important in our locker room providing guidance and leadership. If anything, this victory was for LaDainian. We were able to lock up our first championship after his legendary 2006 season but this was one is equally sweet. This one is for LaDainian.”

Despite the question marks coming into the season, the Monkeys are well set up for another dominant decade. The roster is brimming with young talent and management will have some tough decisions in regards the keeper list. However, for now, the Monkeys can savor the moment.

“We got another ring and that’s the best present we could ask for,” said team captain LaDainian Tomlinson. “I’m grateful to have the chance to play on this team and this was an extremely fun group of guys to be around. I’ve had some great teammates – Peyton, Shaun Alexander and even Larry Johnson but to be honest, these guys could be even better. The plays are different but the victory is the same.”

“The Monkeys are gearing up for another Monkey-type run,” said ESPN Analyst Adam Shefter. “This team has all the markings of a team just about to peak. A bonafide elite QB in Philip Rivers, two up-and coming running backs in Charles and Mathews and a top flight receiver core led by Roddy White, Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Bowe and Anquan Boldin. This team will certainly return the best passing offense in the league and will undoubtedly see tremendous gains in their ground game next year. This will be a scary team next year. Bank on that.”

Super Bowl X

With their least dominant roster in franchise history, the Chunky Monkeys had the easiest championship run in recent memory. Facing no real hurdles heading into the playoffs, the Monkeys dismantled both of their playoff foes by scoring 120+ the last two weeks. Oh what a difference a(nother) ring makes. The discussion for "Best Team in CTDB History" is now re-opened with Evan's second Super Bowl win -- their first win was four years ago -- and he's going to be able to make a great case for number one. In fact, after last year's title collapse, when we named the underdog Gang Green "Team of the Decade," we may have to take that moniker back. But before we talk about history, let's take a look at the championship game that was dubbed "The Big Bowl of China," but played out more like "The Little Fight of Taiwan."

Drawing first blood, Jimmy's tenacious Fobsters had three Cowboys combine for 24 points Saturday afternoon (TE Jason Witten, K David Buehler, Cowboys D). Before the game, our sideline reporter talked to Coach Jimmy, who was considering starting a fourth Cowboy, RB Tashard Choice, before he opted to spread his roster around and inserted veteran Niners' RB, Brian Westbrook. That turned out to be a wise move, as Choice only accrued three points.

The Fobsters had high hopes of a gigantic upset heading into the week, as they matched up decently well with the Monkeys, despite lacking a slight edge at every position. Their biggest worry pre-matchup was the Monkeys' Philip Rivers, who would be facing a soft Bengals defense. Rivers had only five points heading into his fourth quarter, and that should have been great news for Jimmy. Instead, they were already so far in the hole that having Rivers eventually settle into 16 points for the week was just another kick to the groin. Behind Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe's 25 and 24 points (plus Brandon Marshall's 10 receptions and 102 yards), Evan had already sewn up the championship by early evening. Ironically, it was the hometown Chargers' poor defense that let the two Chiefs run wild, and gave Evan the huge edge. So despite a sub-par performance by Rivers, this game was all but decided by 4pm Sunday.

What really hurt Jimmy was his own roster, which really needed to step up in this time of need. Tom Brady did his part with three passing touchdowns. Jason Witten and Mike Williams both had pretty good games, but Calvin Johnson was nowhere to be found, with only four receptions and fifty or so yards. The real culprit here though was the running game. Steady Mike Tolbert, a fan favorite, stumbled to negative two points, and Westbrook only had five points himself, which meant the entire backfield for Fobsters produced three points. Ouch.

Pre-Super Bowl X, Coach Evan made a very interesting choice, sliding in free agent pickup RB Rashad Jennings into the lineup -- while players like Anquan Boldin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Danny Woodhead, Ryan Mathews, and Jacob Tamme lurked on the bench. Known to take chances, Evan was swinging for the fences here. While Jennings wasn't spectacular this weekend, we think the great karma built up from being bold enough to make the call gave the Monkeys a spiritual push. We actually can't even post the final score yet as the Monkeys have All Pro Roddy White still to go on Monday Night, and he'll surely pad the Monkeys' total even more in a celebratory victory lap. Right now it's 113-77 but that score will definitely go up after White's MNF performance.

We want to give playoff MVP to the Patriots defense actually, as they've scored 20-14-18 points in successive weeks for Evan. However, the real MVP contenders for the Monkeys' dream championship run are really the steady depth that everyone provided. For Evan's two playoff weeks, Jamaal Charles had 21 and 25 points, Rivers accrued 31 and 16, and Brandon Marshall had 19 and 15 points. Add in Roddy White and the Patriots defense, and five out of eight starters were stellar.

By winning their last five games of the season, the Chunky Monkeys re-established themselves as the team to beat, and with a roster reloaded with potential stars, they could now turn the corner to being the team that never chokes, and waltzes away with the wins. So now, let the discussion about "Team of the Decade" begin!

Edit: Final score 124-77

Toilet Bowl I: Flip the Bird

And there we have it, our first ever Toilet Bowl Champion. Congratulations are in order for the Battle Angels. After a precipitous fall from the top, the Angel’s redeemed themselves with a timely 88-64 win over Jon’s Dirty Birds to secure the first pick never year.

I guess the final score of 88-64 was fitting for the championship game for the 2010 toilet bowl. It was ugly. We saw 3 donuts (Adrian Peterson, Malcolm Floyd and Terrell Owens) and even a -4 from Jon’s defense (Bucs DST). Even worse, the Birds needed 25 points from Adrian Peterson on Monday night to take the cup but instead, saw Peterson get de-activated just minutes prior to the game. Oh, the ironies of this great game. Despite a bagel and a negative, the Birds found themselves still in position to win. Despite leaving 3 24+ scorers on the bench (Matt Ryan, Austin Collie and Mario Manningham), the Birds were still in it much of the weekend.

However, most importantly, the very same owner that caused a firestorm with Flaccogate (who interestingly enough was the starting quarterback of this game) saw his best player get inactivated on Monday night to complete the most bizarre loss in recent history. GM Jon was, in a word, “Flaccoed” by the fantasy gods. On the flip side, Vu’s Angels was saved by great games from Brees (29 pts) and Benson (21 pts). Despite 0s from Floyd and TO (in game injury), the Angels put up just enough mustard.

Look ahead:
The top pick couldn’t come at a better time. With a floundering line up, Vu’s core keepers are Brees, AJ and Jennings. Floyd is maybe? Maybe Original Steve Smith? Potentially DeAngelo can come back or maybe even Benson? Whatever Vu decides, new blood is needed and the top pick will sure help. As for the Birds, they are set. Peterson, Turner, Larry Fitz, Austin and even Moreno are pretty much locks as keepers. Matt Ryan had a great season and could be in play as well. The rich get richer perhaps? Or perhaps just dirtier.

The Big Bowl of China

Chunky Monkeys (9-4) versus Fobsters (7-6)
So the matchup is set, after two not so close games, it's Evan versus Jimmy. Uh oh, we've seen this storyline before. High powered Chunky Monkeys enters into the Super Bowl against a lowly third seed. Denizens of Monkeyland prepare a parade rout, cue up the dancing girls, and call the confetti company. Then the collapse. I guess the mayor of Monkeyland can just use last year's celebration plans because they sure didn't get to use them after being upended in last year's Super Bowl. If you just look at the stats, CM seems to have had another ho-hum winning year. But we can't discount the efforts they've made to recover from a pretty disastrous off-season trade and still make the Super Bowl.

This is the Fobsters first Super Bowl appearance and if they can win, they'd be like the 2009-10 Saints, coming from the depths of loserdom to make an improbabe franchise turnaround. Pundits are in a bit of disbelief that this is the team they'll be watching in the last game of the season, but true fans in Taiwan and China knew all along that they would be rooting for a Fobster team in the Super Bowl -- some day. The Fobs have an uphill battle though, as they are clearly the David in this matchup, even if the Goliath isn't as dominant as usual. Or should we say it's tiny Taiwan versus vast China?

QB: How about this for a marquee matchup? In his first year with the Monkeys franchise, Philip Rivers has elevated his game to another level and powered his new crew to the Super Bowl. GM Evan must be delighted not to have chokester Peyton Manning calling the shots, as he often disappeared in the biggest fantasy moments. Rivers is a stud who doesn't feel pressure, and threw up thirty one points to lead the Monkeys to the big game. This week he goes against a week Bengals pass defense. Fireworks!

This would all be very intimidating if Tom Brady wasn't patrolling Jimmy's sideline. Brady has been the best fantasy player down the stretch, and the only thing that can slow him down is inclement weather. Jimmy must be displeased to see a late December showdown in snowy Buffalo for a championship game, but if anyone can crank out a huge game under possibly terrible conditions, it's Tom Terrific. Edge: Even

RB: This is the shoddiest collection of running backs we've ever seen in the championship game. Oh how times have changed when having two strong RBs was the key to playoff success. In theory, Jamaal Charles has been outstandin and he's been hot enough to drive Evan's successful trip to the Super Bowl. In reality though, a guy who scores 22-14-5-21 in the last few weeks isn't that excitinig. If he has a big Super Bowl though, this reviewer will eat his words. Evan's other three RBs, Ryan Mathews, Pierre Thomas, and the corpse of LaDainian Tomlinson, all scored five points or less last week. There's a strong case to be made here for a run and shoot lineup.

The good/bad news is that the Fobsters' franchise features even worse RBs. Mike Tolbert for MVP anyone? While we have much respect for Tolbert, he's a ten point performer and that's about it. Jimmy could roll the dice with Tashard Choice or Brian Westbrook, but both can be slightly risky plays. Westbrook gets the most carries of the three, but is arguably the most volatile choice. Will Jimmy run and shoot or go two backs? This could be a key decision. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

WR: When there's no running game, there's some balls flying through the air. Am I right? Evan boasts Roddy White, Brandon Marshall, and Dwayne Bowe. Roddy is one of the best in the business, and Marshall finally had a breakout game (just in time), while Bowe escaped quadruple coverage to get some points on the board. While it's hard to say that Evan's WRs will all have a great game this weekend, two out of three should be plenty. Anquan Boldin also lurks on this roster, and there are rumors he'll get into the lineup despite scoring zero points last weekend.

On the other side of the ball, Jimmy has Calvin Johnson, Jason Witten, Mike Williams, and Santonio Holmes. Don't sleep on Witten, as he's had two straight double 20+ outings and mid-teens otherwise. He's been a star performer. Calvin is the Megatron and even if he's working with a third string QB in Detroit, he'll get his numbers. The big question here is Mike Williams, who tends to boom or bust every other week. He boomed last week with 18 points so is he doomed to disappear during the championship game? Jimmy better hope not. Edge: Even

K/Def: When it gets down to such high stakes, selecting the right kicker or defense can be huge. Evan's Patriots Defense has twelve big points last weekend and helped him seal the win. Jimmy's Packers D had a measly one point. That's a big disparity. While the two kickers, Matt Bryant and Nate Kaeding, are mostly evenly matched, the performance of the defenses could be huge. For now we go with the Patriots having a big edge as they are facing off against a terrible Buffalo Bills offense. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

Mandarin Mojo: Having attended many a Chinese school class with both of these guys, I can safely say that Jimmy's Chinese outpaces Evan's by a broad continent (he also has less morals about cheating on tests, ahem). This is our first Chinese School Bowl, and it's kind of exciting. After years of participating in fantasy leagues, often together, Jimmy and Evan find themselves face to face, just like on the playground on a Saturday morning.

If this were just a regular season game, whatever, the gods and ancestors could care less. But high stakes are here for both teams. A record tying second Super Bowl win for Evan. An unbelievable playoff run capped by a championship for Jimmy. Whose proud parents will be able to take the podium after this weekend and declare their child the victor? Which thirty year old-ish child will be berated and beaten for being inferior and not good enough (ever)? Edge: Fobsters

Ante Up Rivered

And then were two. After a tight battle through much of the day between the Monkeys and a surging Ante Up, Roddy White gave the Monkeys much needed breathing room before the Pats Defense closed out a terrific Round 2 in the IDK conference with a 118-104 victory.

Despite team captain, Aaron Rodgers, being knocked out with a concussion - the scrappy Ante Up team battled all day long. Back up, Josh Freeman, put up a very respectable 20 points while runningback Ray Rice energized the team with a ridiculous 37 point day with 150+ yards rushing, 80 yards receiving on 5 catches to go along with 2 tds. That was buttressed by a Kenny Bitt re-emergence with 6 catches for nearly 130 yards. Ante Up finished with 104 points – enough to win probably most games.

But the Monkeys got hot at the right time. Philip Rivers led the way with an ultra efficient 31 points on 270+ yards and 3 TDs (all to Vincent Jackson) on Thursday night against the Niners. His supporting cast was more than adequate. Brandon Marshall finally had a coming out part of sorts by putting up 100 yards on 11 catches to go with a touch (19 yards). Jamaal Charles was electric again with 126 yards (80 of which came on one play only to be caught from behind at the 5 – typical) and a touch to finish with 21 points. Lastly, Roddy White ended a 4 week scoring drought with 15 points. Kaeding (10 pts) and the Pats D (14 pts) were seemingly shrewd roster moves by GM Evan as they proved to be more than the difference. At least enough to over come Rice’s monster day.

In his post game interview, Philip Rivers told the media that “We just played well in all phases. We didn’t have huge explosive games like Ray Rice had but our guys played extremely well. I can't say enough about Jamaal Charles. He shares the rock but is averaging over 6 yards per carry and is the 3rd in the league this year in rushing. We also have a bunch of receivers capable of absolutely lighting it up. They take turns and you saw that this week with BMarsh and Roddy. I'll also definitely be looking for Quan next week. We have tons of talent and we are certainly looking forward to showing them off in the Super Bowl.”

In a quick post game analysis, ESPN Analyst, Adam Shefter noted that “The Monkeys clearly have the superior roster in the upcoming Championship weekend. While you can never discount a team that has Tom Brady, the Monkeys have an extremely deep team this year. While this has become Philip Rivers’ team, you need to watch out for Jamaal Charles who has quickly become an elite back in this league. Charles has 1,961 yards in his last 17 games on only 297 carries. That is 6.6 yards per carry. As for the passing, the formula for the Monkeys is easy. 2-3 20+ point performers (this week was Marshall and Rivers) and you’ll see the 120+ points we’re used to seeing the Monkeys put up each week. Next week will be a tremendous matchup.”

SMG Playoffs - Rd 2

Fat Jubas (8-5) vs Fobsters (7-6)
This is quite the matchup. A win here would put the Fobsters in their first ever Super Bowl, and would be a real achivement after fighting uphill ever since Jimmy entered the league in 2005. They've gotten steadily better and are now actual contenders for the crown, despite constant battles with an empty backfield. For the Fat Jubas, another Super Bowl appearance, especially if it was versus the Monkeys, would be special because they've were pretty terrible just one year ago. They had the first overall pick in this year's draft, and going from worst to a division is certainly a sign of an epic turnaround.

Over the past four weeks, the Jubas have scored 97-52-127-69 (not including last week's possibly record breaking 175 points on a bye). They've been like that all season, boom or bust, with not much consistency. Their opponent is quite consistent, as the Fobsters rarely have terrible outings, with 94-89-105-117 over their last four games. We predict a blow out, but which way?

QB: It's Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning! Tonight on MNF! Okay, it's not Monday night, but Brady versus Manning is always an event. Normally we'd call this a wash but Tom Fantastic hasn't had an interception in seven games and has ripped off 30-40-41-41 in the last five weeks. While Manning is no slouch, he's been just average mostly, with a mid-twenties average. Edge: Fobsters

RB: Mike Tolbert hasn't been a great fantasy back but he's been big when it's mattered. For a guy who rarely gets large yardage numbers, Tolbert still squeaks into the double digits most weeks by gathering up short distance touchdowns. He'll be the Fobsters' only RB this week, as there are real dependable backs behind him. On the other side of the ball, Fat Jubas have Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden. Both are capable of huge games at any given time, but they also have been a bit susceptible to some real low weeks. CJ went for twenty seven last weekend (on a bye) but had only 7-1-14-17 before that. Hardly premiere numbers. McFadden could be the key here, as he's getting hot again. 39 and 17 points after slumping to 9 and 3 points previously. Compared to Jimmy's one back express, Eric's team is gonna run circles around the competition. Edge: Fat Jubas

WR/TE: Jason Witten was the big hero of last weekend for the Fobsters with 21 pts, and he'll be solid once again for certain. Jimmy can't afford a back to back weak game from Calvin Johnson and it probably won't happen. Going with four WRs will increase the chances that at least Santonio Holmes and/or Mike Williams put up some positive numbers.

For Eric, Marques Colston has been outstanding. He's been in double digits since WK7, and is coming off of 18-13-13-27 points. He's Optimus Prime to Johnson's Megatron. And to match up with Witten, Eric has Vernon Davis, who's had 15-20 points recently, and should continue to be productive. Starting two TEs, Eric won't need Tony Gonzalez to score more than a handful of points, which he's very capable of doing. Despite the four on three advantage, we kind of lean toward Eric's side of things. Edge: Fat Jubas

K/Def: Jubas' Shayne Graham is slightly better than the Fobsters' Matt Bryant, but who cares? The real difference maker here will be Pittsburgh Defense, which has the ability to go huge some games. They could rip apart a Jets' offense that has struggled recently, and we're almost guaranteeing that the Fobsters' Packers Defense is going to get shellacked by the New England offense. They're not gonna hold back Brady in any which way. Edge: Fat Jubas

IDK Playoffs - Rd 2

Chunky Monkeys (9-4) vs Ante Up (7-6)
Here we go guys, all that stands between another Super Bowl appearance for Chunky Monkeys is the resurgent Ante Up. These teams have met in the playoffs before, but a long time ago. Remember when dinosaurs roamed the Earth? Okay not quite that long. But back in 2005, Jae's team had the best record in the league but were upset by the Monkeys in this exact same round. Two years prior to that, Jae did the upsetting of the Monkeys in the first round (before losing to the Tiiite End Jammers the following week). So there's a bit of history here and this rubber match could be explosive.

The Monkeys have scored 90-100-98-118 in recent weeks (although they only posted 66 points during their bye) while Ante Up has been at 92-130-105-128 over their last four. This could be real interesting and we're betting the team that clears 100+ gets the win.

QB: It's Philip Rivers versus Josh Freeman. Rivers is the better player in fantasy and real life, but there's no discounting that Freeman does have some magic. Will that translate to stats though? Ante Up would be happy be with a high teens effort from Freeman, as that would at least replace some of Aaron Rodgers lost production, as Jae decided to not roll the dice post concussion. What would have been a high powered matchup won't be quite as exciting anymore. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

RB: Ante Up is rolling with an explosive backfield. Ray Rice has been a bit up and down but as a second back he'll outclass his competition. And LeSean McCoy had a huge week last time out, and even with limited rushing attempts he gets so many combined yards that he's a fantasy star. The Monkeys used to be defined by a dominant running back corps but this year they've had some issues there. The Ryan Mathews trade didn't work out in its first year, but Evan is going with the rookie for the playoffs anyway. Mathews scored last week but his high all season has been twelve points. Jamaal Charles sometimes splits carries with Thomas Jones, but for the most part he's been a dependable source of high teens production. Charles won't score TDs very often, but he can pile up the yards. Still, there's no real comparison here. Edge: Ante Up

WR/TE: The good news for the Monkeys is that that have a very strong receiving core. Roddy White, Dwayne Bowe, Anquan Boldin, and Brandon Marshall are some big time names. Roddy and Bowe are the top two WRs this year, and Boldin has been top twenty. The slight concern here is that Bowe is in a serious slump after a double bagel, and White and Boldin have been erratic recently. Marshall could slide into the lineup but he's been a single digit scorer for the last six weeks -- eight if you include two games missed due to injury.

For Ante Up, it's Reggie Wayne and a bunch of hopefuls. Wayne has had three hundred yard games in his last four games and is almost guaranteed to be near twenty points. Behind him is some real problem areas though. Derrick Mason has actaully been very good the last few weeks, but he's as likely to toss up five points as twenty. Third receiver had 43 points off 225 yards and 3 TDs in WK7 but he's been injured recently and only collected three points last week. The other option is Mike Sims-Walker but he's been absolutely pathetic. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

K/Def: Normally kickers aren't a big deal but Jae boasts David Akers, who has scored in double digits his last seven games. It's likely he'll beat out Ante Up's last two WRs in scoring. The Monkeys do have Nate Kaeding, but he'll still lag a tad behind Akers.

Interestingly, Jae is electing to sit Ravens Def, as he realizes they are in semi-free fall. He's going with a lackluster defense, the Raiders, who have scored a combined fourteen points the past three weeks, and threw up a negative five in WK11. Dangerous call. Evan is going to battle with the red hot Patriots Defense, who are are hitting their stride with thirteen and twenty points in their last few weeks, and face a Rodgers-less Green Bay team. Edge: Chunky Monkeys based on defense

Toilet Bowl Finals

And here we go - the first inaugural toilet bowl championships. Our first ever contenders bring with them plenty of star power as well. Jon's Dirty Birds are starting Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Larry Fitzgerald and Miles Austin. It'll be interesting to see who GM Jon decides to start between Joe Flacco and Matty Ice but both QBs have been more than serviceable all year. As for Vu's Angels, it'll be the passing. Led by Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings and TO ... expect to see bombs galore from the Angels this weekend. Here's a look at the matchups.:

QB. Angels all the way. While Ryan and Flacco are two of the best young QBs right now, Brees is an established superstar. Brees does play a tough Baltimore defense this week but remember, the Texans lit them up last week. Advantage: Angels.

RB. Here you have Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner vs. Cedric Benson and Keiland Williams. This could be Manny Pacquiao vs Wee Man in a boxing fight. We all know Wee Man will try their best but honestly, this fight will last less than 3 seconds. AP and Turner are two legit stars who can put up 300 yards and 4 tds in their sleep. Cedric Benson is a serviceable starter but far from a star. I'm still trying to figure out who Williams is. Advantage: Birds.

WRs. This is where it gets interesting. You basically have the whole pro bowl team going on in this match up. You have AJ, Jennings and TO facing off against Larry Fitz, Miles Austin and Lance Moore. With the exception of Moore, all of these featured WRs are legit stars. This is a legit faceoff of studs. However, the best player here is AJ and that should be enough to tip the scales for the Angels. Advantage: Angels.

K/DST. Jon's Buccaneers and Neil Rackers to Vu's Browns and Mason Crosby. Rewind 5 years and you'd never see the Bucs against the Browns (mostly because the Browns wouldn't have been owned by any team 5 years ago). The Browns play a 2-win Bungles while the surging Bucs face off against the Megatron led Lions. The kickers should be fairly even though its important to note that Crosby will likely be playing in some "inclement" weather in NE this weekend. Advantage: Birds

Playoffs Round 1 Results

Fobsters (94) defeats Philadelphia Phreaks (85)
After a tearful testimonial to Donovan McNabb last weekend, it turned out that the former face of the franchise could have led the Phreaks to victory. Ping's QB of choice, Kyle Orton, put up a whopping goose egg behind three interceptions, and that negated DeSean Jackson's stellar 29 point game. Even with a strong contribution from Maurice Jones-Drew (18 pts), the Phreaks were torpedoed by the lower seeded Fobsters and ended their season of resurgence with three straight losses.

Jimmy's team surged to a victory behind Tom Brady (30 pts), Jason Witten (21 pts), and Mike Tolbert (13 pts). There was even a bit of extra juice on the bench, as Brian Westbrook could have added a bit of cushion to the win. With a strong upset, the Fobsters are going to need a bit more gas to topple the Fat Jubas, who scored a whopping 175 points while on bye. Would that have been a record?

Ante Up (92) defeats Buffy (56)
So remember last week when we predicted a huge scoring game? Well, let's just say the Metrodome caved in and it probably fell on both of these team's offenses. To be fair, Ante Up put up a decent number, and had some fine performances all around -- excepting Aaron Rodgers' two points and Kenny Britt's three. Derrick Mason came up huge with 22 points, and he added the extra muscle to allow Jae to knock out the higher seeded Buffy.

Poor Roger, who had such high hopes entering this season, and was given top billing as the team to beat heading into the post-season. His team was ultimately doomed by a defense that scored -7 points, and a big fat zero from Antonio Gates -- who was a game time decision and left in the lineup, sadly. Troubled by QB play all season, starter Carson Palmer disappointed with eight little piddly points, and despite mid-teen performances from the rest of the roster, Buffy slumped to a weak defeat. They just came out flat I guess, except for Deion Branch, who had 25 points from the bench. Even if Branch had substituted for Gates, Buffy would have gone down whiffing. Better luck next year?

2010 Toilet Bowl – Round 1 Recap

Dirty Birds wins squeaker over Tiiite End Jammers
A furious comeback that just made it. It was supposed to be much easier. The Birds were down by 32 but they had Joe Flacco, Adrian Peterson, Mario Manningham and Neil Rackers going into Monday night. After the Giants/Vikings game was moved to Monday after the Metrodome lost their faceoff with Minnesotan snow, the Birds had their big guns play on an unusual Monday doubleheader. However, Manningham left early in the game with an injury and scored a big donut for Jon’s Birds. More importantly, Adrian Peterson found no running room all night (it should be noted that this was the day Brett Favre’s streak of 297 starts came to an end). Peterson managed only 26 rushing yards for 2 points. Ouch.

Fortunately, Flacco pulled out a solid 23 points but most importantly, Neil Rackers came through in the clutch with 2 FGs to finish with 8 points. Just enough scoring to squeak by Lei’s Jammers with a final score of 85-84. For Lei, it was a weekend of missed opportunities. Despite another heroic effort from Mike Vick (28 pts), the Jammers got double bageled by Crabtree and Knox. Furthermore, they had Romo, Harvin and Ryan Grant sitting on the injury due to injury. Just one point, that’s all it took. Birds advance, Jammers take a seat (again).

The Ugly Toilet Bowl
Wow. Team Gang Green defined suckage. A full slate of starters – check. No bizarre mid-game injuries-check. Team full of suckage – double check. Between 8 starters, Gang Green assembled 59 points. That’s a 7.35 points / starter. Wow. Five players including surprise stars, Stevie Johnson, Brandon Lloyd and potential comeback star Sidney Rice, had less than 10 points.

On the flip side, the Angels did their thing. Brees scored 25, AJ scored 30 and the rest of the roster did crap. Sounds about right. Final count Angels 86 to Gang Green’s 59. It was, as usual, clutch performances that catapulted the Angels to the first championship round of the first ever CTDB toilet bowl.

Quick Preview – Angels vs. Birds.
This is a pretty good match up with a bunch of superstars in the house. We’re talking about Adrian Peterson, Andre Johnson, Michael Turner, Drew Brees, Miles Austin and Larry Fitzgerald. Its basically the Pro-Bowl. Will be a great match up for first pick – get your popcorn ready!

Still McFabulous

“This is where it all began for me, and this is where it will end.” With those words, Philadelphia Phreaks stalwart Donovan McNabb (the teams top draft choice a decade ago and the longest-tenured player on any team in the league) ushered in the Phreaks’ 2010 playoff season. “I will be forever grateful to Ping and to the Phreaks organization for having faith in me on day one, and for showing tremendous amounts of loyalty and character in sticking with me through all of the ups and downs of the past ten years. It’s been an incredible run, and whatever happens in the offseason, I’m a Phreak. For life.”

As the Phreaks prepare for what is an unlikely playoff run, they do so with many unusual faces on the roster. None more so, perhaps, than expected signal caller Kyle Orton, who took over for McNabb halfway through the 2010 season and who has been instrumental in the team’s success. Nobody on the Phreaks, however, will question that the heart and soul of the team, and its leader, is McNabb, even as he watches from the sidelines. “I’ve been here a while and Don’s always been the guy, the heart of the team,” said rushing leader Maurice Jones-Drew. “He’s still a talented player and to watch him accept his role while still supporting the team and giving everything he has in any way that he can – man, that’s inspirational stuff. They might make a movie about this someday – ‘The Don’ or something like that, maybe bring in Denzel.” Hollywood dreams aside, there is little question that the Phreaks need McNabb – even as a sideline influence – on their side for their upcoming playoff run.

“The Phreaks without Donovan is like a sailboat without its keel,” said Phreaks GM Ping, “We owe so much of who we are and where we are to him – much more than most will ever know. I’m just grateful to have had the opportunity to manage a team with Donovan at the helm for over a decade – if only others could be so blessed. Donovan embodied, in every way, what a football player and human being should be, and he will surely find his way into the Hall of Fame.”

Barring injury, it is likely that McNabb has already started his last game as a Phreak. Team sources indicate that the Phreaks will likely bring McNabb back next season, and that the team sees a coaching role with the Phreaks in McNabb’s near future.

In other news, it has been reported that Phreaks wide receivers Desean Jackson and Mike Wallace have reached out to Chris Johnson and to Jamaica’s Usain Bolt to gauge interest in forming a 4x100 relay team for the 2012 Olympics. Jackson, Wallace, and Johnson are widely considered the three fastest players in the league and with Bolt would be an intriguing favorite at the 2012 games. What really remains to be seen is how well Jackson and Wallace will use that speed on the gridiron come Sunday. Stay tuned and get your popcorn ready.

SMG Playoffs - Rd 1

Both of these teams must be kicking themselves for a weak WK13. With a win, either of them could have sewn up a much needed bye. This entire division has been parity quintupled. Seriously, only fifty points separated the lowest scoring team in this division (Gang Green, 1201 pts) from the highest (Fat Jubas, 1248 pts). That's barely four points a game most weeks. As expected then, strength of schedule played a huge part in who made the playoffs and who didn't.

Gang Green and Battle Angels combined for only nine wins, and their strength of schedule was a bit tougher than the rest of their division mates. Actually, Vu's team faced an uphill battle all the way as they faced the toughest schedule in the league, which worked out to 22.5 points more per opponent than Evan, who had the softest schedule. With four teams in playoff contention till the end, it wasn't until the last Sunday of the regular season that Eric leapfrogged Ping and Jimmy for a division title.

Philadelphia Phreaks (7-5-1) vs Fobsters (7-6)
Ping's lovable losers haven't been in the playoffs since 2006, but it feels like so much longer doesn't it? With only two previous playoff appearances in franchise history, the Phreaks had a break out season and are looking poised to be contenders for years to come behind a semi-Eagle powered attack.

Quarterback Kyle Orton has been a model of consistency all season long, and fended off the likes of Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, and Kevin Kolb (who never actually played a game for Phreaks this season). Orton has been the sixth best QB in the land, and hadn't scored less than fourteen points until an aberrant dud last weekend. He's been an underrated superstar this season and a contender for fantasy MVP.

Orton has a fine group of receivers to target, as DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Mike Wallace have proven to be great complements for each other. All three average about ten points a game and strictly speaking, Maclin and Wallace have been better than Jackson, but Jackson has had some injuries this year and is still a premier big play threat. The passing game has slowed a bit the past two weeks but Orton and his crew should pick it right back up for the playoffs. The quarterback that has the biggest effect on this team is actually not even on the roster. Michael Vick powers the real life Eagles and as long as he plays, Maclin and Jackson are prime time players.

Rumors swirled that star running back Maurice Jones-Drew was offered up for another Eagle, but so far no bites on that front. MJD was supposed to have injury issues heading into the season but he squashed those with a strong second half of the season. In fact, Jones-Drew is picking his game up at the exact right time with 25-24-13-18 in recent weeks. His running mate will probably be BenJarvis Green-Ellis, who was mostly an afterthought most of the year, until he started scoring touchdowns and getting better with each game the last four weeks. He's clearly displaced early season sensation Jahvid Best, who put up half of his points for the Phreaks in his first two weeks, and then promptly disappeared.

Aside from a weak WK13 performance, the Phreaks have scored 108-129-95-95 in previous weeks. They started the season off a bit unruly but powered through late and really picked up offensive steam and consistency. With a balanced roster all around, Ping's team has no weaknesses and if the receiving corps remains steady, the RBs will definitely do their part, and the Phreaks could be looking at their very first playoff win ever!

GM Jimmy must be proud that he's completely turned his franchise around. The moribund Skool franchise he took over was the absolute pits but since their epic 0-13 season in 2006, the Fobsters have made the playoffs in three of the following four years. They've lost to eventual champion Gang Green both of their recent trips to the post-season, so they're delighted to have eliminated the Greenies from playoff contention with a huge comeback win a few weeks ago, which gave them the tie-breaker and eventually sealed Greg's fate.

QB Tom Brady has been making his case for fantasy MVP as he's used three forty point games in four weeks to power himself to second best player in the league. After some ups and downs during the early part of the season, Brady and the Patriots are starting to flash their record breaking form again. For the Fobsters' opponents, that could be very frightening.

Brady's main target all season has been Calvin Johnson, who has justified his high ranking after a lackluster season last year by settling in and being explosive for a whole season. There's no question that Megatron has found his way back to elite status. Losing rookie sensation Dez Bryant for the playoff run is going to hurt though. Bryant had been having some really promising games before his injury. Now the receiving slack will have to be picked up by another rookie, Tampa Bay's Mike Williams, who's leading all first year receivers in yards and touchdowns. Jimmy also has Santonio Holmes, who has been very steady since his early season suspension, and has five straight double digit games.

The big hole on this team (as always) has been at running back. Bruising Mike Tolbert has been a fantastic find for the Fobsters, as he's stolen all the carries away from much ballyhooed youngster Ryan Mathews. Tolbert has been a rock with his tough running and touchdown production. Joseph Addai was looking like a steady presence until he went down in WK7 and hasn't returned. Addai was never a great option in the backfield but he had been doing great. With absolutely nothing behind Tolbert, GM Jimmy has been forced to go with Brian Westbrook, who could have some value as the back to replace Frank Gore. The Fobsters could also select to go with Tashard Choice, who had 100 yards last week but is mostly a complete unknown, or just run and shoot with Jason Witten as the fourth receiver.

The Fobsters are peaking at the right time. They haven't had a terrible game since WK6 and have had three century games in their past four outings. Then again, go look at the Phreaks past few games. No shabbiness there either. While we said that the other division had the game of the week, these two teams are also evenly matched and we see some huge fireworks on display over here too. In fact, we might like the stakes here a bit more, as we have Ping fighting for his first post-season win, which would be cause for a celebration indeed in Philadelphia.

Regular Season Finale Power Rankings

The 2010 regular season is now in the wraps and what a season it was (final standings here). Along with some familiar and expected names (hello Adrian Peterson and CJ2K), we have some new risers (Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers), and as always we have some new out-of-left-field superstars (Peyton Hillis, Brandon Lloyd, Steve Johnson, Dwayne Bowe).

Before we march into the playoffs, here’s a look back at the year that was.

10. Tiiite End Jammers (5-8)

Technically, the Jammers didn’t have the worst record but they had the worst luck. Injury is the one word to sum up the Jammers season. Before the season even was under way, the Jammers announced that they were placing 2010 first pick, Ryan Grant, on IR for an ankle injury. Weeks later, Jammers starting QB, Tony Romo was effectively knocked out for the season with a broken collarbone. As for the rest, you had a lot of “potential” but not a lot of production. Talented youngsters such as Beanie Wells, Percy Harvin, and Michael Crabtree were up-and-down at best. While Harvin and Crabtree have shown flashes of brilliance (Harvin will finish in the top 30 receivers ranking), the rest of the young talent Beanie Wells (44 pts), Pierre Garcon (82 pts) and Crabtree (97 pts) were unreliable and largely unproductive.

However, there are positive signs. The Jammers may have found the QB of their forseeable future in a revitalized Mike Vick (6th best QB). Rashard Mendenhall is a stalwart and will be a cornerstone. There’s talent on this team but GM Lei Pan will need to find the right combination for next year.

9. Battle Angels (3-10)

The Angels had the worst record of the year. What? These are the same Angels that are 2 years removed from a Superbowl ring and had a dominant 2009 (best regular season record, most points scored but upset in the divisional series against the eventual champions – Gang Green). Its hard to figure out what happened as the Angels returned the core of their dominant past rosters. We’re talking about a team with Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, and DeAngelo Williams! It was a mix of injuries, a bad run game but a whole lot of bad luck. Drew Brees was Drew Brees with another ~300 pt season finishing as a top 5 QB. The Angels had another dominant season receiving season. Greg Jennings, TO, and AJ all finished in the top 8 receivers.

What the Angels missed was their run game. DeAngelo Williams just had a poor start, held back by a terrible offense in the Panthers. After just 7 weeks of ~5 pt/week production, Williams was finally placed on IR in late October. Angels’ lead back, Cedric Benson, had a decent season (10 pts/game) but was barely a top 20 back. The biggest factor was defense. While the Angels scored over 100 pts a contest, opponents nearly averaged 115 pts a week. Just look at Week 13 – the Angels ground out 125 points …. Only to be beat yet again by Ante Up (with 130). That’s just bad luck. The Angels will be back next year.

8. Dirty Birds (5-8)

Another super team with terrible results. Look at the line up: All Day, Burner Turner, Larry Fitz, and Miles Austin. Not to mention the rotating tandem of Matty Ice and Joe Unflappable Flacco. There is some big time talent on this team. AP turned in another MVP performance with an 20+ pt/week average. Turner also had a very workmanlike season and turned over 1,000 yards with 8 TDs – good for 14+ pts/week. On the receiving side, the Birds had a bit of a down year. Miles Austin finished as the 15th best receiver averaging just less than 13 pts/game. Fitzgerald was slightly worse with 135 pts through 13 weeks. The 3rd WR was a constant rotation (due to injury between Finley, Collie and Mario Manningham).

On the QB side, 2010 draft picks, Ryan and Flacco probably outperformed. Matty Ice was the 8th best QB while Joe Flacco was the 11th. If there’s a chance one of the QBs are kept, its probably Ryan. Mr. Ice showed remarkable progress and averaged nearly 23 pts/game. We have no idea how the Dirty Birds sucked so much. They only scored over 100 points 3 weeks all year. On the flip side, they scored under 80 in 8 times! Many of those times were true suckage with 3 weeks under 80 points.

7. Fobsters (7-6)

Fobsters are continuing to build momentum. With 2 playoff appearances in the last 3 years, the Fobsters are about to make their 3rd in 4 years. Led by Tom Terrific and Megatron, the Fobsters have been the beneficiaries of a bit of luck this year. Opponents averaged under 100 pts a game against them this year (Fobsters were actually the 3rd lowest scoring team this year). While there’s some steady performers here, the roster gets a little suspect outside of Brady. Players like Mike Tolbert, Santonio Holmes, and Mike Williams have been key performers but are far from stars at this point. It’ll be interesting to see the decisions Jimmy makes this off-season.

6. Gang Green (6-7)

Last year’s champion is this year’s mediocrity. That’s football. Despite a near .500 record, Gang Green actually had a pretty bad year. The 4th lowest scoring team in the league, Green finished the season 1 game under .500. A far cry from the championship season last year. However, this isn’t new. Greg relies more on steady no-name performers instead of star divas. This year, Green found some absolute goldmines (despite an inability capitalize). Steven Johnson came out of no where to finish as a top 10 receiver. Even more shockingly, Brandon Lloyd (yes, the same Brandon Lloyd that came into the league in 2002) finished as a top 3 WR averaging over 17 pts a game. Wow.

There’s more, Greg picked up some white RB named Peyton Hillis in September. Hillis went on to put up 962 yards with a ridiculous 11 TDs. This also does not include 50 catches for 430+ yards and ANOTHER 2 TDs. Damn. Hillis finished with 1 point less than Adrian Peterson. WOW. All three including Johnson, Lloyd and Hillis were FA pick ups. Despite this, Green had a bad year. Mostly because of the terrible years put up by Randy Moss and Shonn Greene. There’s talent here with multiple keeper possibilities in Hillis, Johnson, Lloyd, Hakeem Nicks, Sidney Rice and maybe even Greene. We think this team is much better next year than entering this year (hard to believe).

5. Chunky Monkeys (9-4)

Its weird to see the Monkeys in this slot. The same Monkeys that were so dominant in the first decade, the same Monkeys that, despite a very up-and-down season, enters this year’s playoffs with a 1st week bye. However, in many ways, these are not the same Monkeys. Gone are Peyton Manning and Chris Johnson. In are Philip Rivers, Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, Roddy White and Brandon Marshall. The Monkeys no longer sport the best runningback tandem in the league (think back to prior Monkey duos including CJ2K & Jamaal Charles, LT and Larry Johnson, LT and Shaun Alexander) and instead often rely on the run n’ gun led by Jamaal Charles. Charles, despite a strong yardage season, is really a time-share player.

Where the Monkeys have excelled this year has been their passing. Rivers is a top 3 quarterback and Dwayne Bowe/Roddy White are the top 2 receivers this year combining for over 2,000 yards and 21 tds. The Monkeys have a lot of potential talent in Marshall, Mathews (or else viewed as the largest bust this year) and Boldin but have so far haven’t been able to put it together consistently. We’ll see how they fare this year in the playoffs.

4. Fat Jubas (8-5)

At the start of the season, the Jubas looked like the Monkeys (Peyton and CJ2K) and played like the new Monkeys (7-1 regular season start). However, after only suffering their first loss in week 7, the Jubas suffered an unexplainable 4 game skid before finally righting the ship in the last game of the regular season against the Birds. During that losing streak, excluding a bad beat by Ante-Up (128-127), the Jubas averaged a measly 66 points. The issues are becoming increasingly clear.

Gore is now out for the season along with Dallas Clark who was lost earlier this season. CJ2K has had 5 weeks under 10 points and is no where near the all-world player he was last year. Peyton has thrown more INTs than anyone can remember (8 in the last two games!). Jubas have some depth though with Darren McFadden now being rotated in (a potential top 5 runner alert!) and as always, a plethora of tight ends including Vernon Davis and Tony G. However, what matters is that the Jubas win when it counts. With a clutch final regular season win, the Jubas managed to secure a 1st round bye in the playoffs. We’ll see if they can live up to the hype in the playoffs.

3. Ante Up (7-6)

Its hard putting a .500 team as a top team but the numbers show that Ante Up has consistently been one of the best teams. Jae’s team is leading the league in scoring. Led by superstar QB, Aaron Rodgers (top fantasy player this year), and a rock solid run game rotating between LeSean McCoy, Ray Rice and Ahmad Bradshaw – all three are top 15 running backs. The lone weakness, the receivers. Outside of Reggie Wayne, there really is little to speak of. Britt, Amendola, Sims-Walker, Obomanu have been a rotating cast of nobodies. However, if A-Rod, McCoy and Rice keep putting up 80+, they might not have to.

2. Philadelphia Phreaks (7-5-1)

What? The Phreaks? What year are we in? The Phreaks have been in the playoffs in a whopping 2 times and finished under .500 in 5 of the past 6 years. However, this year is different. The Phreaks were one game away from a 1st round bye and was consistently one of the best teams in the SMG division. Led by unsung hero, Kyle Orton, the Phreaks have had a consistent passing attack bolstered by young talents in Jeremy Maclin, Mike Wallace and DeSean Jackson. They have combined for 20 TDs and over 2000 yards.

MJD continues to be the rock of this team and is having another MVP type season with 1,100 yards with nearly 300 yards receiving. The emergence of Orton has been a godsend for the Phreaks. This is one of the strangest team in Phreaks history (to begin with, Donovan McNabb is no longer the starting quarterback) and is reliant weekly fireworks from his receivers. However, those have come at a fairly regular clip. Expect to see fireworks in the playoffs.

1. Buffy (8-4-1)

One of the fastest starting teams this year, Buffy started 7-2-1 before a mid-season slip lost them their vise grip on the top seed. Like the Monkeys, Roger has totally rebuilt their team and essentially flipped their team as well. Moving from the greatest show on turf, Buffy is now one of the most feared running teams in the league. Led by league MVP, Arian Foster, the Buffy running attack also includes Steven Jackson and Matt Forte who are both top 15 backs.

The story here is Foster. A first year starter, Foster put up over 1,200 yards with 13 tds to go along with 50 catches for nearly 500 yards and another 2 TDs through the air. To put this in weekly terms, Foster averaged over 24 points a week. More than 4 points more than 2nd place, Adrian Peterson. Not bad for a virtual unknown. There’s some uncertainty at QB (currently manned by rookie Sam Bradford) and Antonio Gates’ health (torn plantar fasciitis and turf toe) but there’s no doubt, this is an elite team this year.

IDK Playoffs - Rd 1

Two seasons in a row we haven't had a ten win regular season team. What that means is that no team has been dominant and that's been a good thing. This year's playoff hunt went down the very last week of the season, with both byes being up for grabs. Heading into Week 13, the Chunky Monkeys had the lead in the Inscrutable Drama Kings division while the Philadelphia Phreaks had a narrow edge over in the Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses division.

Interestingly, the two faced off during this last weekend, in a very crucial matchup. Both teams desperately needed the win; at stake was Ping's first division title and a guaranteed playoff bye for the winner. Despite a strong running game, the Phreaks couldn't muster much of an aerial offense and fell to the Monkeys' balanced attack, 90-70. What that meant was that the Chunky Monkeys found themselves in a familiar position of a #1 seed, while on the other side, another CTDB champion, the Fat Jubas, sneaked into a bye by beating the Dirty Birds 97-75.

With those two on easy street this coming weekend, let's take a look at what the playoff matchups will be for Week 14.

Buffy (8-4-1) vs Ante Up (7-6)
Two time champ Buffy haven't been in the playoffs since 2007 and have had some up and down times since then. Most of Buffy's resurgence this season can be attributed to one man: Arian Foster, the number one fantasy running back in the land. Foster started the season off with an eye opening 41 points and never really slowed down, finishing with three straight 20+ point games to head into the playoffs hot like fire. Buffy's other RB, Matt Forte also had a huge first week, but he faded a bit as mid-season approached before recovering nicely over the past few weeks. The running game is now Buffy's bread and butter, even as off-season acquisition Steven Jackson takes a seat behind Foster and Forte. Having a backup the caliber of Jackson can't be a bad thing.

The Buffy passing game has TE Antonio Gates, who was leading the league in touchdowns, and was vying for fantasy MVP-dom before missing essentially four games. He's back now and in full health so Roger can breathe a sigh of relief. Wes Welker had seemed to lose some of his mojo but over the past four weeks has ripped off double digit games and is becoming super dependable again. The big question is Chad Ochocinco, who has been barely serviceable, and could be relieved by Santana Moss, Deion Branch, or Steve Breaston.

There's also a bit of a QB controversy, as rookie Sam Bradford took a start over the mercurial Carson Palmer. The steadiest QB, David Garrard, isn't even on the roster anymore and it's going to be real interesting to see if he gets picked back up, or if Bradford and Palmer will be given the keys to the Buffy-mobile.

The good news is that Roger's team has been very consistent this year, dipping below eighty only three times all season, and has been near or over the century mark the last four weeks. They're going to be a tough out and are serious contenders for their third championship.

This marks Ante Up's second straight year in the playoffs, a strong turnaround for a team that was coming off of back to back 4-9 seasons. While playoff success has been fleeting, it's a good sign that Jae has found his way back to fantasy relevance. Sophomore LeSean McCoy has been the fourth best back in fantasy this year, and has only one game with less than double digit scoring. He's a double threat and super legit. While the gap between Foster and McCoy is large overall (over sixty points), McCoy has been stellar the past four weeks and has only scored four fewer points than Foster during that span. As long as Vick remains the Eagles' QB, McCoy is a franchise player.

The other starting running back is Ray Rice, who hasn't quite lived up to his preseason hype, but has been intermittently explosive nonetheless. Rice may not be a number one back, but as a number two he's just fine. Then again, raise your hand if you knew that Ahmad Bradshaw was a top ten back this year? With the Giants having found their run game again of late, Bradshaw is picking up steam heading into the fantasy playoffs. There's no doubting that Bradshaw can be an impact player, and is sneaky dangerous. Who will fill the second RB spot next to McCoy? We told you Buffy had a strong running game, but Ante Up has the advantage here.

Jae's not so secret weapon is Aaron Rodgers, the best fantasy player this year, who's also coming off of four weeks with scores of 36-41-32-35. The problem is, outside of Reggie Wayne, there's no receivers for Rodgers to throw to. The second best receiver here is arguably Danny Amendola, but Nate Washington, Jabar Gaffney, Lance Moore, and someone named Ben Obomanu have been starting the past few weeks. Receiver is a big Achilles' Heel on this team and maybe Jae can move LeGarrette Blount, Jonathan Stewart, or even Bradshaw for some last minute WR help. Heaven knows the injured Mike Sims-Walker and Kenny Britt aren't the answer. Can a team win the Super Bowl with this sorry group of pass catchers? Jae probably wishes he could play three or four RBs.

Barring a 78 point dip in WK10, Ante Up has scored 133-128-93-130 points heading into the playoffs. In fact, they used that 130 point outburst to topple Battle Angel by five points, in a wild last game of the season matchup. Can Ante Up beat Buffy this week? Well it looks like it'll be a high scoring game either way because their first matchup this year in WK4 was decided by five points as Buffy toppled Ante Up 135-130. Then three weeks later their rematch was decided by two points, as Buffy once again nipped Ante Up in a scorcher, 107-105. We're guessing this game gets decided by three points, with both teams going all out and flexing their offensive muscles. Looking at the final regular season stats, these two teams almost had identical PF and PA numbers, meaning we're in for the game of the week!

Final Standings 2010