The thought of quitting fantasy football actually crossed my mind for a day this week. I believed on Monday night that I had my most bitter loss ever, and it wasn't even a FADUCO loss. Andrew beat me pretty thoroughly, so there was no second-guessing. However, Hai's girl Yen beat me in the other league after I had a head start with 50 points for 2 players on Thursday night. I'm thus pretty much out of the playoff contention there now. I initially thought that my free agent moves (all busts) were the difference and that I would have won had I kept my original players. However, upon further examination on Tuesday, Kurt Warner was too much of a fantasy force and I would have lost regardless. With a 16-point final margin of victory, it became less of a "second-guess" loss that would gnaw on me.
Here in FADUCO, though the standings are pretty tight, we've seen less nail-biters in the games during the past few weeks. So that means high volatility in individual teams, and anyone not named Tuna can beat anyone else. Last two years, I think you could pretty much tell who were the top playoff teams after week 10. This year, no one looks like a shoe-in quite yet.
1. Bill - Though not a shoe-in, he's in the driver's seat for a playoff spot. Good all-around team, though I think Bill has topped the record for most running backs carried in the roster. Bill isn't relying on any single team this year, so that is a good thing. Schedule is a bit tough with only one game (vs. Tuna) where he'd be the heavy favorite.
2. Hai - The hottest team with a 4-game winning streak. Has momentum, but also now saddled with a potential jinx by me ranking Hai this high. The flip side of Bill's team - Hai may have broken the record for most WRs carried on his roster. Running backs are kinda hurting, so may have to play 3 WRs and the up-and-down scoring that means until the RBs heal.
3. PJ - Gets Tony Romo back, and has healthy stud RBs unlike Hai. However, Miami RBs are in committee mode and TO has yet to have a monster game this season. Will go as far as Dallas can take him, though Purple Jesus is silently having a very nice season. Strange fact: asides from Tuna, PJ is the only other team Larry has a winning breakdown record against.
4. Katy - Looking at the roster on paper, this team looks like it's over-achieving. There is no bona-fide high-draft name stud in the RB and WR slots, and the defenses likewise aren't reputation defenses. Then you look at the stats, and whoa! Jets are the #2 defense and Thomas Jones is the #4 RB. Wow! Can they continue to exceed expectations or will we see a return to the mean for Team Katy?
5. Donny - Is Tyler Thigpen for real? Or is his performance just a 3-week hot streak that will fall to earth in the coming weeks? Don't look now, but Donny's 3 stud WRs may not be getting all the TD pass looks, so this may hurt Donny in our non-yardage-centric league. Will have to play the 4 active Caucasian teams and so probably has the toughest 4 games remaining out of everybody.
Trade Update: Brandon Jacobs is the better Brandon in this trade. Like the vanishing species of die-hard Republicans, believes in free trade.
6. Kevin - Running back underperformance has hurt him, but Kevin has a solid bench and Eli Manning may be the steady solution instead of inconsistent Big Ben. Is Ladanian done as a fantasy stud or will he turn it around just in time for Kevin's playoff hopes. It's been a long 5 games since LDT has scored a rushing TD! But he's in good company. Most people's Top 5 preseason RB list had LDT, Purple Jesus, Westbrook, Addai, and Steven Jackson. Only one of them is in the top 10 RB stat list as of this week. So when the Fed says fantasy sports is not a gambling but a game of skill and shouldn't be outlawed, just nod your head and shut up.
7. Andrew - The dark side strikes, but with cost. Kurt Warner is producing MVP-level numbers, but his curse still permeates FADUCO. Portis is an iffy start this week, and Willy Parker has been MIA due to injury for some of the past few games. But showing how crazy this season has been: if you bet with me that Andrew would start 2 players who had as many minutes as I did and a pooh-pooh defense, and yet scores 80 points in a drubbing, I would have mortgaged the farm against you and would have received the Bear and Stearns treatment.
Trade Update: Andrew has broken the record for least number of RBs carried on the roster. Not sure if this trade with fellow Obama-hater will work out for Andrew, but then again, we said the same thing for the Romo-Portis trade.
8. Victor - Anytime you lose to a team that started 2 inactives and a pooh-pooh defense, you deserve a low ranking. Also low due to lack of consistent TD scorers amongst WRs. One of the few brighter sides: Gets to play Larry twice in the next 4 games. One of the darker sides: Won't surprise anyone if he loses one or both games to Larry.
9. Larry - Despite transactions, still losing traction in the standings. But would have beaten half the league this past week. Has viable keepers, whoever takes over this team will have some talent to work with next season.
10. Tuna - Unlike Larry, we'd understand if he shuts down for the season, but Tuna has too much pride to do that. Though Tuna is not yet officially the #1 pick, he'll have to win 3 of 4 to avoid the bottom spot.
Here in FADUCO, though the standings are pretty tight, we've seen less nail-biters in the games during the past few weeks. So that means high volatility in individual teams, and anyone not named Tuna can beat anyone else. Last two years, I think you could pretty much tell who were the top playoff teams after week 10. This year, no one looks like a shoe-in quite yet.
1. Bill - Though not a shoe-in, he's in the driver's seat for a playoff spot. Good all-around team, though I think Bill has topped the record for most running backs carried in the roster. Bill isn't relying on any single team this year, so that is a good thing. Schedule is a bit tough with only one game (vs. Tuna) where he'd be the heavy favorite.
2. Hai - The hottest team with a 4-game winning streak. Has momentum, but also now saddled with a potential jinx by me ranking Hai this high. The flip side of Bill's team - Hai may have broken the record for most WRs carried on his roster. Running backs are kinda hurting, so may have to play 3 WRs and the up-and-down scoring that means until the RBs heal.
3. PJ - Gets Tony Romo back, and has healthy stud RBs unlike Hai. However, Miami RBs are in committee mode and TO has yet to have a monster game this season. Will go as far as Dallas can take him, though Purple Jesus is silently having a very nice season. Strange fact: asides from Tuna, PJ is the only other team Larry has a winning breakdown record against.
4. Katy - Looking at the roster on paper, this team looks like it's over-achieving. There is no bona-fide high-draft name stud in the RB and WR slots, and the defenses likewise aren't reputation defenses. Then you look at the stats, and whoa! Jets are the #2 defense and Thomas Jones is the #4 RB. Wow! Can they continue to exceed expectations or will we see a return to the mean for Team Katy?
5. Donny - Is Tyler Thigpen for real? Or is his performance just a 3-week hot streak that will fall to earth in the coming weeks? Don't look now, but Donny's 3 stud WRs may not be getting all the TD pass looks, so this may hurt Donny in our non-yardage-centric league. Will have to play the 4 active Caucasian teams and so probably has the toughest 4 games remaining out of everybody.
Trade Update: Brandon Jacobs is the better Brandon in this trade. Like the vanishing species of die-hard Republicans, believes in free trade.
6. Kevin - Running back underperformance has hurt him, but Kevin has a solid bench and Eli Manning may be the steady solution instead of inconsistent Big Ben. Is Ladanian done as a fantasy stud or will he turn it around just in time for Kevin's playoff hopes. It's been a long 5 games since LDT has scored a rushing TD! But he's in good company. Most people's Top 5 preseason RB list had LDT, Purple Jesus, Westbrook, Addai, and Steven Jackson. Only one of them is in the top 10 RB stat list as of this week. So when the Fed says fantasy sports is not a gambling but a game of skill and shouldn't be outlawed, just nod your head and shut up.
7. Andrew - The dark side strikes, but with cost. Kurt Warner is producing MVP-level numbers, but his curse still permeates FADUCO. Portis is an iffy start this week, and Willy Parker has been MIA due to injury for some of the past few games. But showing how crazy this season has been: if you bet with me that Andrew would start 2 players who had as many minutes as I did and a pooh-pooh defense, and yet scores 80 points in a drubbing, I would have mortgaged the farm against you and would have received the Bear and Stearns treatment.
Trade Update: Andrew has broken the record for least number of RBs carried on the roster. Not sure if this trade with fellow Obama-hater will work out for Andrew, but then again, we said the same thing for the Romo-Portis trade.
8. Victor - Anytime you lose to a team that started 2 inactives and a pooh-pooh defense, you deserve a low ranking. Also low due to lack of consistent TD scorers amongst WRs. One of the few brighter sides: Gets to play Larry twice in the next 4 games. One of the darker sides: Won't surprise anyone if he loses one or both games to Larry.
9. Larry - Despite transactions, still losing traction in the standings. But would have beaten half the league this past week. Has viable keepers, whoever takes over this team will have some talent to work with next season.
10. Tuna - Unlike Larry, we'd understand if he shuts down for the season, but Tuna has too much pride to do that. Though Tuna is not yet officially the #1 pick, he'll have to win 3 of 4 to avoid the bottom spot.
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