Commissioner Sports 2010-2011- Week 14 Playoff Preview

By: Jesse Katz

           

It has come down to this week as the playoff picture is still up in the air for many teams in the league. Here are my predictions for the fantasy playoffs:

Seed #1, San Diego Redemption

            Going into the final week of the regular season, San Diego Redemption stands at 9-4 and has a very favorable 3-10 Shawn Bennett final matchup to solidify his first place bid. This is a dangerous team filled with stars at almost every position. A very strong wide receiver core has carried San Diego throughout the season, and should bid him well throughout the playoffs. With the star-studded talent of Andre Johnson, the red-hot Greg Jennings, the breakout Brandon Lloyd, and explosive Mike Wallace, this bunch is one no team would like to go up against. Also projecting well for San Diego are his running backs. LeSean McCoy continues to get looks from Michael Vick, while still thriving in the rush game. RUN-DMC has had a breakout year, and looks to finish strong with some favorable matchups.  To help the cause, San Diego has some great IDPs, which round out the Pro Bowl lineup. Things are looking very good for this manager.

Seed #2, Jamarcus Russells Effort

            Going into the final week, this team needs a win and a loss from San Diego Redemption to capture the top spot. Luckily, this win should come easy, as his week 14 opponent, Pride Rock Baby Simbas, has all but given up as four players currently on the IR fill out his lineup. Looking toward the playoffs, Russells Effort needs more consistent performances from Chris Johnson in order to win the championship. Tom Brady and his beautiful long hair will definitely help the cause, as he hands the ball of to Peyton Hillis giving this team a nasty passing and rushing attack. At wide receiver, Marques Colston and Sydney Rice need to stay hot in order to catapult this team to fantasy glory. Rounding out the offense are some big name players, such as Calvin Johnson, and Santonio Holmes; two players that can explode any week.

Seed #3, Austin 3:16

            Austin 3:16 should win in this final week, bringing him right into the fantasy playoffs. Although slightly weak at quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have to stay within himself, and put up adequate numbers in the final few weeks in order for this team to do some damage. Adrian Peterson is finally starting to look like the top fantasy running back that most predicted he would be, so things are looking up for Austin 3:16’s backfield. Also helping the backfield is Fred Jackson, who can put up HUGE numbers just about every week. At receiver, Reggie Wayne is praying that Peyton Manning will throw it to him instead of their opponents, so that he can help 3:16 win some games in the playoffs. The benching of Troy Smith is not favorable for Michael Crabtree, but Austin 3:16 hopes DeSean Jackson will continue to play well, and lead the team to fantasy gold.

Seed #4, Bafana Bafana Gold Rush

            With a win this week, looks like Gold Rush will be slipping into the playoffs, with a dangerous team. Philip Rivers has been a top three fantasy QB all season, and will need to play that way to upset the top seed in round one. Gold Rush is tacked at running back, with breakout player Arian Foster, and star Michael Turner. Gold Rush hopes that both these running backs will put the team on their backs and bring the team to the promised land. Wide Receiver looks inconsistent for Gold rush, as Jeremy Maclin, and Anquan Boldin round out this receiver core. Good luck Gold Rush, you have a daunting task as the last seed in the playoffs, but a dangerous team, which can explode at any time.

Butt Hair To The Max- Week 14 Playoff Picture

By: Jesse Katz

            The fantasy playoff has arrived, and the top two seed can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Number one seed A New Marshall In Town and number two seed No Punt Intended have byes this first week, but will not be able to ignore the exciting two matchups that are playing this week. Here are my predictions

#5 Alec’s People Who Win vs #4The Comeback Kids

            This matchup looks to be a close one this week, as both teams feature impressive lineups. At QB it is going to be a back and forth week, as Aaron Rodgers goes up against People Who Win’s start QB Drew Brees. Running back looks to be a tight matchup as well, as People Who Win needs Adrian Peterson to step it up if his team is going to win. The Comeback kid features an unbelievable backfield, as Jamaal Charles, Michael Turner, and Ray Rice bolster this teams starting lineup. Although close on paper, this one will turn out to be one sided. Look for the Comeback Kids to take advantage of good matchups and hot play on the road to victory this week.

#6 I’m Thinking RB’s vs #3 Haywood JaBloumi

            It is very possible that if Miles Austin had lived up to pre-season expectations, this three seed would be sitting at the top of the standings right now.  With a star QB in Phillip Rivers, JaBloumi need an amazing performance to halt I’m Thinking RB’s hot quarterback play from the hands of Tom Brady. JaBloumi has a huge upper hand at running back, as their line up features Peyton Hillis and Arian Foster.  The wide receiver matchup has to go to I’m Thinking Rb’s, as Wes Welker must stay hot for his team to pull out a victory this week. I’m going to have to give the win to Haywood JaBloumi this week, as a star filled lineup will lead this owner to the promised land.

City of Champs Playoff Fever

By: Colin Thompson

Key Week 13 Matchups

Piece of Ice defeated Team XXX

Team XXX was pretty much in the clear last week whether they won or lost because they were going to most likely get into the playoffs based on total points. They still however showed how dangerous they can be getting 29 points from the explosive Greg Jennings and 22 from Mr. Consistent, Arian Foster. As good as those performances were however, nobody was going to deny Piece of Ice a playoff berth. They would dominate for a 127-90 victory moving to 7-6 and getting 3^rd place in the ANAL division. Almost every player on their starting roster got into the end zone and when you do that you are tough to beat.

Little Italy defeated Testi Cool

This battle of 6-6 teams was an important contest in the ANAL division playoff race. Little Italy was able to snag the second seed with a 120-96 win over Testi Cool, knocking them out of the playoff picture. Kyle Orton really let down Testi Cool with his 1 point which was 23 points off of his average for the year. Even playing the benched LeGarrette Blount and his 21 points wouldn’t have made a difference in this one, Little Italy was too strong. Playing on a hunch they started Sidney Rice and boy did it ever pay off with a dominant 27 point performance. Three members of Little Italy scored multiple touchdowns on this day and that was more than enough to cruise into the postseason.

Playoff Preview Round 1

(3) Beach Bums vs. (6) Team XXX

The task for Team XXX this weekend will be to defeat the highest scoring team in the entire league. That certainly won’t be easy as Beach Bums has averaged over 112 points per game this season. Michael Vick, Maruice Jones-Drew, Calvin Johnson and the Steelers defense all rank in the top 10 at their respective positions for points scored. If they have one decision it might be whether to bench star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who just hasn’t been able to get on track this season. Beach Bums however could be running into a buzz saw in the form of one of the hottest teams in the league. Team XXX boasts the number 1 player this season in Arian Foster and an elite receiving core that is incredibly hot right now. If fully healthy Antonio Gates and Roddy White teamed up with Greg Jennings, whose averaged 28 points the last 3 weeks, can take over this game and win it for Team XXX.

(4) Little Italy vs. (5) Piece of Ice

Two 7-6 teams lock horns when Little Italy meets Piece of Ice this weekend. Little Italy’s X-factor is certainly WR Sidney Rice who is fresh off a 27 point night in just his 3^rd game back from injury. Speed is the name of the game for this team as two of the fastest playmakers in the league reside on their team. Chris Johnson has been relatively quiet the last few weeks but can explode at any time and WR Mike Wallace is a big play waiting to happen. Piece of Ice will need its two best players, QB Philip Rivers and WR Brandon Lloyd to bounce back after terrible outings last week. Despite their RB Ahmad Bradshaw getting into the end zone twice last week, bench RB Thomas Jones has averaged nearly 3 more points per week in the last 3 weeks and has been far more consistent than Bradshaw. These are the tough questions to answer during playoff time and playing quality matchups will be vital.

Playoff Round 1 Predictions

Team XXX shocks Beach Bums – Having Arian Foster on your team plus three deadly receivers like Jennings, White and Gates who are all hot right now might just be enough to pull off the huge upset.

Little Italy defeats Piece of Ice – Speed kills and Little Italy has plenty of it, watch out because there could be some big plays to be had.

Elks Den - Week#14, Weekly Preview

As Season Winds Down, A Few Remain in Contention

by Paul Pearson

When you run a total-points-based fantasy football league like the Elks Den, you don't have to worry about qualifying for a postseason tournament or locking up byes. All you have to do is keep on scoring and your rivals have trouble doing the same.

THE PENTHOUSE

The Wonder Twins racked up 89.89 points last week and maintained their place at the top of the standings. All they really have to do at this point is avoid stumbles. Michael Vick has turned himself into an every-week starter in fantasy football. Peyton Hillis has a juicy matchup against the Buffalo Bills, but Brandon Lloyd might not have as many opportunities if the Denver Broncos run a lot against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Green Death scored 75.66 points last week and remain in second place. It's too bad this league doesn't award extra points for broken noses. Ben Roethlisberger gets to heal his face and his stats against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Chris Johnson is hoping to return to form Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, but Arian Foster will be hoping just to emerge intact from his Monday night date with the Baltimore Ravens.

Balco!! scored a league-high 99.9 points last week to leap three spots in the standings, to third place. That's what happens when you have Adrian Peterson scoring three touchdowns. The Balcos will be hoping to continue getting points from All Day and from Philip Rivers. However, they'll have to find someone to take Todd Heap's place this week, and Cedric Benson may not find too many gaps in the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

THE MIDDLE

FIRE AND ICE scored only 62.46 points this week to remain stuck in fourth place. If they want to contend for the league title, they'll need Drew Brees to perform like a defending Super Bowl champion and Rashard Mendenhall to perform like someone facing the Cincinnati Bengals. It also would help if the Green Bay Packers defense/special teams would remind the Detroit Lions who's a contender and who's still a pretender.

TACO'S AL VAPOR put up a league-low 33.89 points and slid two spots to fifth place. That's what happens when Dwayne Bowe puts up a donut bigger than even Homer Simpson can imagine. He'll need to become relevant again (and Matt Cassel will need to heal quickly) to get the Tacos back into contention. They certainly can't put their hopes into the Blair White Project, which has been derailed lately by the Peyton Manning Breakdown.

UwannaPieceOMe compiled only 45.9 points this week and dropped one spot in the standings, to dead-center sixth place. Peyton Manning giveth, and lately he taketh away, too. At least Antonio Gates has shown he's healthy again. Andre Johnson has the unenviable task of getting open against the Baltimore Ravens, so Miles Austin may be the best hope for the Uwannas to climb back into position to contend for the league title.

The Bogimeisters scored 81.28 but remain stuck in seventh place. Calvin Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew are playing like stars on less-than-stellar teams, but quarterback may be a problem for the Bogimeisters this week. Carson Palmer has to solve the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Josh Freeman visits a Washington Redskins team that's either good stopping the pass or just god-awful against the run. (The New York Giants aren't telling us which.)

Where's the food? amassed a solid 84.07 points and jumped two spots in the standings to eighth place. Two words: Tom Brady. Three more words: He's damn good. And he'll need to stay good for the Foods to keep rising. LaDainian Tomlinson needs to shake off his Monday night beatdown and attack the Miami Dolphins. And Matt Forte will have to do better than Tomlinson did against the New England Patriots.

THE CELLAR

The Snookuation mustered only 42.32 points last week and slipped one spot to ninth. Roddy White keeps scoring touchdowns, and Knowshon Moreno is taking over the Denver Broncos offense. But Brett Favre's brittle body may hold down Visanthe Shiancoe's production.

The Bad News Barristers scored 51.12 points and fell a spot to 10th place. They may be without the appendix-less Matt Cassel this week. Michael Turner always puts up impressive stats, but the San Francisco quarterback switch may not bode well for Michael Crabtree.

4th and 20 is making a late move to get out of last place, scoring 88.21 points last week. The 4ths can't complain about what they're getting out of Aaron Rodgers. Braylon Edwards? That's another story. And would Reggie Bush please pick up the white courtesy phone? A bunch of fantasy players are waiting for him to show up.

Touchdown Sportswear Fantasy Football League - Week#14, Playoff Preview

As Top Two Relax, Four Teams Seek Semifinal Bids

by Paul Pearson

Thirteen weeks of waiver choices, lineup switches and guesses about everything from wind speed to injured metatarsals have all come down to this. Six of the teams in the Touchdown Sportswear Fantasy Football League have earned the right to play in the playoff tournament, while eight others are reduced to playing for pride (or whatever cliche you want to insert for teams that lost too frequently).

QUARTERFINALS

The two division winners (the 11-2 Tyler's Tornados of the Unitas Division and the 10-3 Chelsea's Chumps) can enjoy their bye weeks however they choose. Four other teams are fighting for the right to meet them in the semifinals.

Tailgaters vs. Let It Bleed

The 10-3 Tailgaters came one game short of a division title and have to settle for the third playoff seed. The Bleeders lucked their way into the sixth and final playoff berth with a 7-5-1 record. Any team starting Michael Vick and Brian Urlacher these days has to be considered dangerous. And the Bleeders are hoping Rashard Mendenhall has an easier day this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Tailgaters are stacked at just about every position. Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson are both making cases for the MVP award. Calvin Johnson could find the end zone blindfolded, and the defense features Brian Cushing and Paul Posluszny. It all adds up to a victory for the Tailgaters.

BullRiders vs. LandSharks

A pair of 8-5 teams sit next to each other in the Unitas Division standings. The fourth-seeded BullRiders will get early points Thursday night from Jacob Tamme and Dwight Freeney, but they are hoping Dwayne Bowe can get the damn ball this week. Meanwhile, the fifth-seeded LandSharks feature Defensive Rookie of the Year shoo-in Ndamukong Suh and the surprising Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson. (Buffalo fans just wish he'd lose the "dropped balls" portion of his "surprising" resume.) At the quarterback position, the LandSharks have Matt Ryan lining up against the toothless Carolina Panthers. The BullRiders have Jay Cutler, who has been hot lately but faces a New England Patriots defense that just made Mark Sanchez look like an idiot. The LandSharks have the slight edge here.

CONSOLATION ROUND

2 Shorts and a Long vs. Ying Yang Twins

The 7-5-1 Shorts came up just short of the postseason and ended up seventh in the standings. The 2-11 Twins were eliminated from the playoffs a long time ago and sit in the league's basement. Peyton Hillis and Charles Woodson have been bright spots for the Twins, but there's not much else here on this roster. The Shorts can call on Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne and the suddenly-a-factor-again Sidney Rice, who doesn't care who's getting him the ball. The Shorts should win in a walk.

Underdawgs vs. Malignant Apathy

The 5-7-1 Dawgs gave up a league-high 1,819 points to their opponents on their way to eighth place. The 13th-seeded Apathys finished last in the Butkus Division with a 3-10 record. Julius Peppers have found rejuvenation with the Chicago Bears, but Peyton Manning's game has gone south in a hurry. The Dawgs have Steven Jackson and Greg Jennings scoring touchdowns and Terrell Thomas stopping them. The Dawgs should have no trouble prevailing in this one.

Sirius Contenders vs. Hoffman Team

The 5-8 Contenders wound up in ninth place in the league standings. Two ties kept the 3-8-2 Hoffmans out of the division cellar but left them in 12th place. Santonio Holmes and Mike Tolbert are always threats to score for the Hoffmans. The Contenders counter with Ray Rice and DeSean Jackson. The wild card in this matchup is Terrell Owens of the Contenders. He certainly has supplanted Chad Ochocinco as the primary Bengals receiver, but he'll get lots of attention from the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Look for an upset by the Hoffmans.

Wasted Draft Picks vs. Cougars

This matchup features a pair of 5-8 squads. The 10th-seeded Picks get to start Joe Flacco Monday night against the Houston Texans. The 11th-seeded Cougars have to be disappointed in Mark Sanchez's week 13 and Larry Fitzgerald's entire season. Knowshon Moreno and Jamaal Charles can help ease the Cougars' pain, but they can't stop Miles Austin from putting up points for the Picks. This one won't be decided until Monday night, and Flacco has the arm to deliver a Picks victory.