Fobulous (140.00) vs Razor Ramon (138.50)It's official, the Razors are nigh invulnerable and will finish the regular season at 10-3. Quite a feat considering that one of their top playeres, QB Michael Vick, has been erratic as hell. Still, he carried the team early on and then Drew Brees (obtained in exchange for WR Muhsin Muhammad) took over. This week, WR Marvin Harrison took over the reins (26.5) and powered Razor to a strong win. We'll announce our MVP for the season but it's going to be hard to not pick a player from the best team in the league.
The Fobulous ones took out Razor Ramon last time they matched up, but unless QB Jeff Garcia and RB Brian Westbrook combine for 47 points, they're gonna have to take a hit on their record and fall to exactly 0.500 (6-6-1) heading into the post-season. LaDainian Tomlinson continues his MVP-type performance (31.5) and for the first time in years, is not dinged up heading into the fantasy playoffs. Fobulous may not have the best regular season record, but nobody wants to face the LT-Train come playoff time.
MNF Update: It's a Monday Night comeback! Jeff Garcia is a blast from the past and goes wild with 28 pts! Brian Westbrook goes for 20! The Fobsters win by 1.5 points! It's a miracle! Too bad it's a meaningless game at the end of the season. Still, the Fobulous ones prove that they can beat the Razors -- again.
Dukes of Hazzard (112.50) Brown Starz (89.50)Forget simply winning for pride, Gene and his Dukes need to make sure that Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams combine for over 17.5 points to take out Galvez, otherwise they'll take a loss and lose out on a bye to the Dirty Birds. Nobody wants to lose out on a playoff bye in the first round. Let's see if Steve Smith can pull through on MNF; it's hard to bet against this mighty mite. Other than that, the story of the week is RB Reggie Bush, who finally exploded for 40+ points and 4 TDs -- all while sitting on the bench. Whoops. Still, the Dukes head into the post-season on quite a roll (five wins in a row if they win this week) and stand a good chance to take a ring. QB Tony Romo can't throw up another dud though, with only 9 points.
The Brown Starz have been an up-and-down team all season. QB Peyton Manning has been steady but hardly spectacular, and he might cool his jets once the Colts secure home field advantage. In the meantime, the other QB spot is in turmoil for the Starz. I mean, if your QB (Brad Johnson) gets negative 5 points, that's turmoil right? The Starz are consistent (only 2 weeks not hitting the century mark) but they usually hover around the low 100's. That might not be enough come playoff time. The Bears D is going to have to continue playing tough (23 points) in order for the Starz to make an impact in the coming weeks.
MNF Update: DeAngelo Williams explodes for 26.5 points and Steve Smith notches 14 to secure the win -- and the coveted bye -- for the Dukes. Vacation time for Gene's boys! (That does not mean going commando buddy...)
Dirty Birds (114.50) vs Pizza the Hut (98.00)Trent Green's back! With 26 points, Mr Green came back triumphantly, just in time for...another Pizza the Hut loss. How the mighty have fallen. A ring in hand does not insure a playoff spot does it? Tiki and Chad may be primetime players, but they haven't been able to carry the defending champions to too many wins. But hey, at least the Huts didn't finish last!
The Birds are hoping to sneak their way into a playoff bye, just like Florida snuck their way into a BCS title game. Even though they probably don't deserve to get a bye (the Dukes beat them two weeks ago), they could if the Dukes falter on Monday Night. With a strong passing attack -- led by Torry Holt (20.5), TJ Houshmandzadeh (21) and Larry Fitzgerald (12.5) -- the Birds are capable of putting up big numbers. For them to win a championship though, they're going to need Larry Johnson to turn it up a notch and prove that he was selected #1 overall for a reason.
Jedi Knights (109.00) vs El Nino's (78.5)
What an embarassing end to an embarassing season. The El Nino's could lose despite their opponent scoring only 73.00 points. Of course, they could also win as WR Donte Stallworth faces off against the Knight's Jake Delhomme and Keyshawn Johnson, but it's more likely that they'll lose and put a cap on their first to last season. QB Eli Manning finally emerged from a funk with 21 points but hey Eli, too little too late. Hong had a Midas touch earlier in the season but this time around, early season finds like Jerricho Cotchery (19.5), Marion Barber III (19) and Marty Booker (14.5) were left flailing on the bench. Plus, Hong moved away all the wrong New Orleans players; hanging onto injured WR Joe Horn while cutting RB Reggie Bush and trading away QB Drew Brees -- both of whom are on championship contending teams now.
The Jedi Knights will enter the playoffs as big underdogs (having lost three in a row and failing to top 100 points in three games) but at least they have a puncher's chance. They've made some bad moves this year too. Well, one bad move: QB Rex Grossman was acquired in exchange for WR Steve Smith. Not good. RB Ronnie Brown was moved for WR Hines Ward also, but that's a wash as both players are listed as "out." Can a team whose biggest star is um...Baltimore Defense...really win a championship? Maybe it's time for hometown hero RB Kevin Jones to start heating up and take the Knights through a winter ride they'll never forget; a ride towards a championship! KEVIN JONES!
MNF Update: Delhomme and Johnson combine for 36, Donte gets 19. Not quite enough for Hong to pull out of last place. Oh well, maybe next year.
Good luck in the playoffs everyone!
The Dukes of Hazzard didn't just roll over -- perhaps they bent over just a little -- but their effort came up a bit short. Starting off Sunday with some success, the Dukes fell behind early -- Cedric Benson (5), Reggie Wayne (3.5), Antonio Gates (7) -- but fought back hard behind stud running backs Shaun Alexander (27) and Reggie Bush (21). The problems started however, when the passing attack stalled behind QBs Tony Romo (11) and Jay Cutler (14), and most of all, Smurf-sized star WR Steve Smith racked up a hum-dinger, zero. Gene's Kansas City Defense gave it a go, 16 points, but were obviously unable to overcome the potent offense that Jimmy was packing.
However, all the attention on these four stars freed WR Bernard Berrian for 12.5 points and gave Maurice Jones-Drew the room to rumble for 32 points! Jeff Garcia (17) has been a revelation for the Eagles and has been steady for Jimmy during the last few weeks. Old war horse Brett Favre -- and Jimmy's favorite Madden football player -- can finally ride off into the sunset with a championship, despite having a sub-par performance, 10 points. And look, a championship for John Carney too, who was delighted to be off of the El Nino's and booted in 12 points to cap the victory.
