KID Week 13 Power Rankings - Playoff Scenarios

Jason drafted this guy in the second round, yet is still somehow making the playoffs.

Each year, eleven of my best friends and I participate in a keeper fantasy football league, dubbed "Keeper? I Don't Even Like Her!" (KID, for short).  These power rankings are for them.

This may sound bitter, but I don't care.  Jason represents everything I hate about fantasy football.  He wasn't able to make our draft and his proxy was intoxicated by the third round.  He's started a player on bye.  His best keeper was Peyton Manning.  He's made six moves all season.  And he thinks Erik Decker was a finalist on American Idol.  "Bare minimum" doesn't begin to describe the effort he's put forth this season.  And yet, barring a big collapse, Jason will make our playoffs, while I remain an also-ran for the second year straight.  I'm done trying to understand this league.  Bah humbug.

As we enter the final week of the regular season, things are tight.  Only Hunt and Sumit have clinched a playoff spot.  After being 4-6 and on the verge of elimination, Will can clinch the 3rd seed this week or be out of the race altogether.  In the match of the year, Mike and Colin face each other in a win-and-you're(maybe)-in scenario.  It's going to be a wild finish.  Below are the playoff scenarios for each team.

Hope Is A Good Thing: Remembering To Believe In The 2011 Giants

Many forget how hopeless the Giants looked at this point of the 2007 season.

It's a tough time to be a Giant fan.  Unfortunately, everything that concerned me about New York's Monday Night game against the Saints held true.  Big Blue's defense was barely a speed bump for Drew Brees, who gleefully exploited the middle of the field with Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore.  The 577 yards the Giants surrendered were the second highest total in their 87-year history.  With the hardest schedule in the league remaining, a second-half collapse seems inevitable.

What concerned me wasn't that the Giants lost as much as how they lost.  Justin Tuck and company had visibly given up late in the game, and that was no more apparent than on Mark Ingram's 35-yard touchdown jaunt in the final minute.  The players had quit on themselves.  Judging by my Twitter feed after the game, most fans had quit on them too.  And yet, as bad as it looks right now, there's still room for hope.  The great thing about being a longtime fan is, if you look hard enough, you can always find a reason to believe.  Let's take a walk down memory lane.

Monday Night Pick - Giants at Saints

Let's hope some mass-Tebowing can save the Giants from another second-half collapse.

When teams build new stadiums, you always hear the same buzz words:  Open concourses.  More concessions.  Better sightlines.  Less traffic.  But while those benefits cater to the average fan, there's really one reason that fuels owners to invest in a brand new building: luxury boxes. 

This past Sunday, thanks to a generous family friend, I experienced the Giants-Eagles Sunday Night Football game from the swanky confines of a VIP suite.  It's tough to convince someone to drop $400 per ticket for a concrete concourse and an all-you-can-eat hot dog buffet.  Walk into one of these luxury boxes, and you can see why the Mara and Tisch families wanted this 1.6 billion dollar stadium.

My Week 12 NFL Picks

Not even Matt "The Frat" Leinart can derail the Texans' playoff hopes.

The Thanksgiving games were quite entertaining, although not always for the right reasons.  (Read this to see my thoughts on what the league needs to do with Ndamukong Suh.)  We've already seen two teams, the Colts and the Chiefs, tumble out of playoff contention without their starting quarterbacks.  Will the Texans, Bears and Eagles join them?

Last week: 8-6; 7-6-1 Against the Spread 

Season: 101-59; 74-79-7 ATS 

Cardinals at Rams - What a lost season for Steve Spagnuolo, who now has a 10-32 record with the Rams.  Many of the young players he was hoping to develop, including franchise quarterback Sam Bradford, have been limited by injuries.  Even if coach Spags escapes the chopping block this year, it's playoffs or bust in 2012.

Pick -Cardinals

ATS - Cardinals (+3)

Bills at Jets - The chips are stacked against Buffalo in a game they absolutely need to win to have any hope for the playoffs. They've lost Fred Jackson, who is responsible for 40% of their yards on offense this season.  I don't like their chances without him against the well-rested Jets.

Pick - Jets

ATS - Jets (-9) 

Ndamukong Suh: A History of Violence

If Ndamukong Suh doesn't understand why moves like this are illegal, then it's the NFL's job to teach him.

The Packers knocked off the Lions yesterday to remain undefeated, but what everyone will remember from the game is Ndamukong Suh taking his dirty play to a new low.  Given his history, it didn't surprise me that Suh would shove his opponent's head into the ground and stomp on him.  And knowing his attitude, I predicted that he would fabricate a post-game excuse like "what I did was remove myself from the situation the best way that I felt in me being held down."  While Suh has repeatedly served up dangerous cheapshots to his opponents, the NFL has too long treated Suh with kid gloves.  It's time for Roger Goodell to take them off.

In just his third game as a rookie last season, Suh grabbed Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme by the facemask and slammed him to the ground.  Suh was fined $7,500 for the act, or 0.01% of the guaranteed money in his contract.  That's the equivalent of 10 bucks for me or you. Even worse, the league still continues to promote the mugging as if it were a WWE highlight.  The title of the clip on NFL.com?  "First Round Takedown" Now take a look at the link, and what do you see?  "Throw him down big man, throw him down."

Later in the regular season, Suh blindsided Bears quarterback Jay Cutler with a forearm.  The NFL levied another $15,000 fine.  Rather than trying to curtail Suh's unnecessarily aggressive behavior, coach Jim Schwartz instead chided the refs for throwing a flag.

This preseason, after Suh gave rookie quarterback Andy Dalton the same treatment he gave Delhomme, the league fined him $20,000.  When asked if he was getting a reputation for dirty hits, Suh unapologetically declared “it’s not my job to really worry about whether I hit a guy too hard or not.  I was just going after the ball and trying to make a play, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

Two weeks later, Suh said in a pregame interview that he wanted the Lions to make "quarterbacks fear us, offensive linemen fear us, every single game we step into."  Later that night, he threw a punch at Patriots guard Logan Mankins.  After the game, he posted a video to his fans where he boasts about "beating up on the Brady bunch."  The league did not fine him.

Suh has slammed two quarterbacks down by the helmet, thrown a forearm at another's head, thrown a punch at a lineman, and now kicked a lineman.  And through it all, he thinks he's done nothing wrong.  "I think my hits may look a little different because of the type of strength and athleticism I have," he said earlier this season. 

It's poetic that Suh's cheapshot gave four points to the Packers and helped the Lions lose the game.  In a tight NFC wild card race, it could also cost Detroit a playoff spot.  But it's clear that Suh has yet to learn his lesson.  Fines are levied to dissuade a player from committing the same error again, yet Suh has treated them like an expensive parking ticket.  His dirty play has been enabled by coaches and tolerated by the league for too long.  If Suh's actions and attitude don't call for a two-game suspension, then nothing does.

 

After meeting with Suh three weeks ago, Goodell remarked that "we reviewed video showing that [Suh] has clearly made the adjustments to play consistently w/in the rules."  Clearly, he has not.  Goodell should not be fooled again.

Image found here.

My NFL Thanksgiving Day Picks

"You see when the defense is showing a single high safety, you want to put the duck into the chicken into the turkey."

Thanksgiving is less than 24 hours away, which means that you're less than 12 hours away from swaying on a stool at your hometown watering hole and debating if you can steal a make out from your high school ex-girlfriend by buying her a shot, all while "Glory Days" plays in the background.  I love the holidays.

Featuring three playoff contenders and the surprisingly surging Dolphins, I expect tomorrow's afternoon games to be the most entertaining Thanksgiving slate we've had since 1998, when Jerome Bettis called tails and Randy Moss caught three balls against the Cowboys for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

Packers at Lions - I laughed when I read that over 55,000 Lions fans have signed a petition to prevent Nickelback from performing their halftime show.  My favorite quote: “I'd rather see Rebecca Black unleash her newest single ‘Thursday’ at halftime than have to listen to Nickelback.”  I once voiced my theory  that Nickelback isn't that bad of a band, yet people hate them because it's the "cool" thing to do.  At which point my friends branded me a huge Nickelback fan.

Pick - Packers

ATS - Lions (+6) 

Cowboys at Dolphins - Something tells me that the Leon Lett household may not tune in for this one.  I wish Fox would sign John Madden to a one-day contract every Thanksgiving, just so I can once again hear him break down a Turducken recipe as if it were a Cover 2 defense.

Pick - Cowboys

ATS - Dolphins (+7) 

49ers at Ravens - San Francisco can already clinch the NFC West with a win and a Seattle loss this week.  I've said that I think the 49ers are a force to be reckoned with, and have been for a while.  But they are flying cross-country on a short week to play a dangerous team in a game that really doesn't matter much to them.
Pick - Ravens

ATS - Ravens (-3)

Come back Friday for the rest of my Week 12 picks, along with a post about my swanky/depressing night in MetLife Stadium this past Sunday.  I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Happy football.

Odds courtesy of USA Today.
Image found here. 

My Week 11 NFL Picks - Unheralded Stars

Perhaps more people would know Cameron Wake's name if it wasn't covered it mud.

The Bronco win last night may have started me at 0-1 this week, but boy was it thrilling.  As you sift through the Tim Tebow praise this weekend, don't forget how good the Denver defense has played as of late.  They're currently eighth in the league in points allowed, and much of that is thanks to the play of Von Miller.  So far, the rookie linebacker looks very deserving of the 2nd overall pick the Broncos used to draft him this year.


In honor of Miller, who was overlooked by many fans until his 10 tackle, 1.5 sack performance last night, I'll highlight some players who are excelling this year but may not yet be a household name.  ( Note: I relied on ProFootballFocus for many of the stats you'll see below.  I highly recommend visiting their site and even signing up for a Premium Membership.  It's well worth it.)

Last week: 10-6; 8-8 Against the Spread 

Season: 93-53; 67-73-6 ATS 

Titans at Falcons - Michael Roos is the only bright spot in Tennessee's disappointing running game.  The left tackle is playing at an All-Pro level and hasn't given up a sack yet this season.

Pick - Falcons

ATS - Falcons (-6) 

Bills at Dolphins - Karlos Dansby says that he's the best linebacker in the NFL, but he's not even the best on his own team.  That title goes to Cameron Wake, whose 29 QB pressures leads the league.  Wake was the CFL Defensive Player of the Year for two straight seasons before NFL teams noticed him.

Pick - Bills

ATS - Bills (+2) 

KID Week 11 Power Rankings - Luck Be A Lady Tonight

Each year, eleven of my best friends and I participate in a keeper fantasy football league, dubbed "Keeper? I Don't Even Like Her!" (KID, for short).  These power rankings are for them.

This has happened to all of you.  Your team has a great week, puts up 120 points, and you outscore every other team in the league...except your opponent, who puts up 130.  Meanwhile, your buddy notches a win even though his team scores a measly 75 points.  As they say, there is no defense in fantasy football.  No matter how well you draft and trade, a good portion of your team's destiny relies on sheer luck.  So, how lucky have each of you been this season?

Here are our current standings:

	Team	Record	Pts For	Pts Against
1.	Beast Mode	9-1	1202.5	902.54
2.	Rice and Breesy	8-2	1153.38	931.58
3.	Room for Regret	6-4	1073.8	953.12
4.	Dirty Mike&The Boys	5-5	927.88	1015.86
5.	Doctor Asshole	5-5	922.56	921.14
6.	Father Superior	5-5	919.64	965.84
7.	The MightyKegs	5-5	880.2	923.74
8.	A Few Good Chicks	4-6	1117.96	1088.5
9.	Aluminum Pint	4-6	860.14	924.54
10.	Lambs_of_Combat!	4-6	805.98	924.6
11.	Hostile Takeover	3-7	807.94	1024.78
12.	The Pudgy Pelican	2-8	914.76	1010.5

Thursday Night Pick - Jets at Broncos

You won't see a lot of Darelle Revis in tonight's game, but his impact will be no less important.

If you're like most fans and enjoy big plays and lead changes, then you might be turned off by tonight's Jets-Broncos game.  After another tough outing for Mark Sanchez against the Patriots, New York may be apt to return to its physical rushing nature.  And Denver has fully embraced the Tim Tebow experiment, running a whopping 55 times last week.  But I'll be glued to the TV to see how Rex Ryan, one of the best defensive minds in the game, attempts to hogtie the old-fashioned read option offense that the Broncos have unleashed upon the NFL.

I looked back at the passes Tebow threw last week against the Chiefs.  It didn't take long, as there were only eight of them.  Three were deep balls designed to attack the safeties cheating against the run, but Tebow's fluttered throws allowed the defenders to recover.  Two other incomplete attempts were a dropped pitch and a well-covered checkdown.  Another was a swing pass that the slot receiver took for an extra 13 yards, and another was an out pattern that Tebow misfired straight into the dirt.  Finally, the Bronco quarterback threw an on-target deep ball for a 57-yard, game-clinching touchdown.  What impressed me about that last pass was that it came on 3rd and 10 and involved no run fakes.  Tebow simply took the shotgun snap, surveyed the pass defense, and out-threw the safety who did an awful job of providing support on that side.  It was no gimmick or option, just a regular old shotgun passing play.

Unfortunately for Denver, I don't think Tebow will have as much success against the Jets this week.  Many believe that Darelle Revis will have little impact on this game because the Broncos don't pass, but I strongly disagree.  The Chiefs were continually gashed by the Denver run game because they often played Cover 2 (two safeties deep) to provide help for their cornerbacks.  Revis will not need any help to shut down whichever Bronco receiver he lines up against.  That will allow one safety to shade to Antonio Cromartie's side, and the other safety to come down as an eighth man in the box.  Buddy Ryan's legendary 46 Defense is rarely used anymore because offenses spread the field with multiple receivers and force defenders to cover sideline to sideline.  However, it could be the perfect gameplan for his son Rex to use against the more compact Tebow offense.

If that doesn't convince you to watch the game, then I'll give you another reason.  Von Miller, the outside linebacker who Denver chose with the second pick of this year's draft, is quietly having a better season than any other rookie in the league, including Cam Newton.  ProFootballFocus touts him as not just the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but the Defensive Player of the Year.  Keep your eye on him.

Pick - Jets

Pick Against the Spread - Jets (-6)

Image found here.

Why The Green Bay Packers Won't Go Undefeated

Many forget Kent Graham and Gary Brown, but the 1998 Broncos never will.

Last night's Monday Night Football game left me with two observations: 1) Jared Allen really likes celebrating tackles when his team is down by three touchdowns, and 2) I wonder how anyone is going to beat the Packers this season.  I've already discussed Allen here.  As for Green Bay, as improbable as it seems right now, they will be beaten.  And as history indicates, it might not take a strong team to do it.

Look at their schedule, and you can't find a bad matchup for the Packers.  The Buccaneers and Lions are reeling.  The Giants' secondary has been ravaged by injury this season.  The Raiders and Chiefs have been inconsistent in a weak division, and the Bears have lost three straight to Green Bay.  Nevertheless, Green Bay will lose to one of them.

My "Glowing Review" of The 2011 San Francisco 49ers

Yesterday was the first glimpse of the 2011 49ers for much of the nation.

As I've mentioned here before, my roommate Colin is a 49er fan, so yesterday's game was a big one in our household.  Because I came out on the losing end of a bet with him, I now have to write a "glowing review" of his favorite team.  Frankly, that's not that hard, because the 49ers showed yesterday, once again, that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Here is what I wrote about San Francisco in my Preseason Preview of the NFC West: 

Every August, I predict that the 49ers' core of Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis and Justin Smith will capitalize on a weak division.  And every October, they’re inevitably doomed by poor quarterback and offensive line play.  I like Jim Harbaugh, but the lockout-delayed transition from college to the pros will give him a long adjustment period.

Boy was I wrong.  Harbaugh is clearly not in over his head.  He's had some learning experiences, like Handshake-gate in Detroit, but yesterday's surprise onside kick* and other innovative plays show that the rest of the league better start adjusting to him.  The Giants held the heralded 49er run game to a mere 77 yards yesterday, but Harbaugh's offense still moved the ball because they exploited one-on-one matchups between their fast tight ends and the slower Giant linebackers that were in there to stop the run.

My Week 10 NFL Picks

The NFC South isn't the only division that's up for grabs this week.

Thanks to the Raiders' upset last night, I'm already 1-0 this week.  I gave some analysis on each team in my Midseason Power Rankings, so my picks will be a bit abbreviated this time around.  If you read those rankings, you might recognize that there are a lot of important division games this Sunday.  Saints-Falcons, Steelers-Bengals, Lions-Bears, and Patriots-Jets, among others, will all go a long way towards determining who hosts a playoff game in January. 

Last week: 8-6; 6-8 Against the Spread 

Season: 83-47; 59-65-6 ATS 

Steelers at Bengals - The only other time Andy Dalton faced a 3-4 defense this year, the 49ers held the Bengals to 8 points.

Pick - Steelers

ATS - Steelers (-3.5) 

Broncos at Chiefs - Oakland's confused reaction to Tim Tebow's option offense reminded me of the 2008 game when Miami unleashed the wildcat on New England.

Pick - Broncos

ATS - Broncos (+3) 

Thursday Night Pick - Raiders at Chargers

At this point of the season, Marcus McNeill is hearing whistles in his sleep.

Finally!  Thursday Night Football is back (as long as you get the NFL Network), and it starts with a thrilling showdown between the Raiders and the Chargers for the AFC West lead.  I can't wait.

OK, so maybe "thrilling" isn't the right word.  The AFC West is the worst division in the NFL, and the only one without a single team above .500.  But with Kansas City's tough schedule and the Tebow experiment in full swing in Denver, odds are that one of tonight's combatants will host a playoff game.

They're a touchdown underdog, but I'm going with the Raiders.  Darren McFadden isn't playing, but Oakland has still averaged 128 rushing yards in two games without him.  His three interceptions notwithstanding, Carson Palmer looked better last week than he did in his last two seasons at Cincinnati.  On the other side of the ball, the Chargers offensive tackles have been dreadful this season, punctuated by Marcus McNeill's six penalty nightmare against the Chiefs on Halloween.  Richard Seymour and company will ensure that Philip Rivers' disappointing season continues.

Pick - Raiders

Against the Spread - Raiders (+7)

Image found here.

KID Week 10 Power Rankings - Breaking Down Success, Position-By-Position

Each year, eleven of my best friends and I participate in a keeper fantasy football league, dubbed "Keeper? I Don't Even Like Her!" (KID, for short).  These power rankings are for them.

Earlier this week, Will asked me if there was a coincidence that most of the top teams in our league have very good quarterbacks.  That gave me an idea.  Is there a specific position that ties directly to success?  For example, is it better to have a top QB, or a strong set of RBs?  Would you rather have a solid WR corps, or an elite TE?  What about a top defense?

To answer this question, I went back to our games and charted how many of your points came from each of your starting positions, and how much of an advantage, or disadvantage, they've given you against your opponents.

TEAM	QB	RB	WR	TE	DEF	TOTAL	QB +/-	RB +/-	WR +/-	TE +/-	DEF +/-	TOTAL +/-
Beast Mode	285	386	276	53	78	1079	101	128	73	(9)	(23)	269
Rice and Breesy	249	279	371	63	95	1056	70	(4)	142	(24)	11	195
A Few Good Chicks	172	327	292	108	119	1018	(49)	48	(14)	22	37	44
Room for Regret	232	332	226	70	121	981	19	107	7	17	2	151
Dirty Mike & The Boys	184	237	299	77	70	867	(9)	(131)	61	13	(6)	(72)
Doctor Asshole	216	264	233	67	66	846	(1)	(13)	(5)	8	(3)	(14)
Pudgy Pelican	137	257	280	116	39	830	(80)	15	(27)	76	(63)	(78)
Father Superior	215	243	208	58	105	828	8	(53)	(10)	1	(3)	(58)
Aluminum Pint	185	211	208	65	110	780	(6)	(49)	(43)	(4)	50	(53)
The Mighty Kegs	173	283	167	61	82	766	(14)	62	(84)	(14)	(8)	(58)
Lambs_of_Combat!	153	166	277	27	113	735	(44)	(85)	34	(41)	44	(92)
Hostile Takeover	160	242	213	23	67	705	5	(25)	(132)	(44)	(38)	(234)

NFL Midseason Power Rankings, Playoff Style

Unlike every other rankings you've seen, the Packers are not No. 1 here.

Every team has at least half of their schedule under their belts, so this is a fitting time for my first Power Rankings column.  You've probably seen dozens of these out there, but mine comes with a little twist.  Rather than determining who has performed the best up to this point of the season, I'm ranking the teams based on how good their chances are of making the playoffs.

For example, I think that the Patriots would beat the Texans if they played on a neutral field tomorrow, but Houston is a better bet to make the postseason in the weak AFC South than New England is in the tough AFC East.  Based on their record, their division, and their remaining schedule, I've analyze which teams have the best chance to play into January.  Without further ado, here are my Midseason Power Rankings.

SUCK FOR LUCK

32. Indianapolis Colts - I don't care how promising Andrew Luck looks, no self-respecting fan wants to see their team go winless.  Two games against Jacksonville and one against Tennessee might be Jim Caldwell's only opportunity to avoid 0-16 infamy.

PLAYING OUT THE STRETCH

 

31. Miami Dolphins - Tony Sparano deserves credit for keeping his team motivated in what has become his lame duck season.  But playing in the strong AFC East gives them only two remaining games against opponents under .500.

28-30. Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams - Misery loves company.  If they didn't have each other, each one of these teams could be challenging the Colts for the worst record in the league.

Forty-Two Deja Vu: The Giants' Eerily Familiar Super Bowl Encore

Take away the Super Bowl patch...

...and you couldn't tell the difference.

In the week leading up to Sunday's Giants-Patriots game, many writers drew the obvious parallels to Super Bowl XLII, the last time these two teams met.  On the surface, New England is still a passing juggernaut and New York's defense still starts and ends with its line, but a deeper look revealed little reason to expect another defensive struggle and fantastic finish.  Gone are Michael Strahan, Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss and Rodney Harrison.  The Patriot defense has been setting records for ineptitude and the Giants have struggled to stop the likes of Kevin Kolb and Charlie Whitehurst.  Despite the memories evoked leading up to the game, most expected it to resemble the Week 17 shootout that capped the Patriots perfect 2007 regular season, rather than the eventual championship upset.  Yet when the Giants and the Patriots took the field in the same uniforms as they did on February 3rd, 2008, sans Super Bowl patches, I couldn't help but get a feeling of deja vu. 

My Week 9 NFL Picks

Any Pats fan can tell you that this guy doesn't hold a candle to Ryan Mallett.

There's a great slate of games this week, but as a New Yorker living in Boston, none is bigger than the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl XLII rematch.  It's been almost four years since that game, but the wounds clearly have not healed up here.  The good thing for the New England fans is that, if they can win this game and make about 500 more "Eli sucks" comments to me, they will actually travel back in time and reverse the outcome of that Super Bowl.

Last week: 10-3, 6-7 Against the Spread (ATS)

Season: 75-41, 53-57-6 ATS

Falcons at Colts - Indianapolis has the second worst run defense in the league, and Atlanta is 4-0 when Michael Turner gets more than 16 carries.  Run the ball, Mike Smith.

Pick - Falcons
ATS - Falcons (-7)

Buccaneers at Saints - Somehow, the Saints play the Buccaneers for the second time in 22 days, but have yet to play the Falcons.  New Orleans is a much better team at home, and Drew Brees won't throw three interceptions like he did at Tampa.

Pick - Saints

ATS - Bucs (+9) 

KID Week 9 Power Rankings - Best Pickups

Each year, eleven of my best friends and I participate in a keeper fantasy football league, dubbed "Keeper? I Don't Even Like Her!" (KID, for short).  These power rankings are for them.

Apologies for the hiatus last week, gentlemen.  There's been some moving and shaking since the last rankings, and somehow Hunt is in first.  The zombie apocalypse can't come soon enough.  This week, I look at the best waiver wire pickup that each team has had this season.

1. Beast Mode (Last week's rank: 2) 7-1, 947 points
Matt Hunt is leading our league?  This is like the 2001 Mariners winning 116 games: you have admire the effort, but you know it's just a matter of time until the universe recorrects itself.  Pierre Garcon was a nice pickup, as he scored 59 points in the two weeks after Hunt picked him up.

2. Rice and Breesy (3) 6-2, 951 points 

Sumit leads the league in points, with a great trifecta at wide receiver (Wes Welker, Greg Jennings, and A.J. Green).  David Nelson is a consistent backup during bye weeks, bringing in six points per week since Sumit added him. 

3. Room For Regret (1) 6-2, 867 points
Kevin's team is slipping, but that's what happens when you rely on two players (Brady and McCoy) for half of your team's points.  It's a testament to his keepers and draft picks that he traded away his only notable pickup, Darren Sproles, before the start of the season.

Chris Johnson's Decline: Historically Unprecedented

There's no precedent to explain how CJ2K has become CJ.7K.

Awful.  Unwatchable.  Killing Pete's fantasy team.  These are all terms that have been used to describe Chris Johnson's season, and they're all justified.  After averaging 1,500 yards rushing in each of his first three seasons, Johnson is on pace for less than 700 this season.  Watch a Titans game, and you'll see him constantly hesitate and stutter-step behind the line of scrimmage.  After looking like Tony Dorsett for three years, CJ2K has turned into Laurence Maroney.  I'll throw out another phrase that can describe what his 2011 campaign has been: historically unprecedented.

My Previous Weekly Picks

You can click on any of these links to see my past picks for every game of the NFL season.

Kickoff Thursday - Saints at Packers

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Thursday Night Football - Raiders at Chargers

Week 10

Shout: My Day With The Bills Backers of Fenway

It hasn't always been easy for Bills fans living in New England,
but they've got a lot to cheer about this season.

Bleacher Bar, constructed under the outfield seats of Fenway Park, is adorned with Red Sox memorabilia and other Boston sports images, and even has a wall that opens up into center field of the stadium.  But don't bother trying to catch a Patriots game there on NFL Sundays.  Instead, you'll find a playground for the children of Utica, Rochester, and Syracuse (but definitely not Albany).  My friend Dan started the Bills Backers of Fenway here four years ago, and I've been to a few of their Buffalo game watches since.  This Sunday, I was able to join them once again for quite an entertaining afternoon.