Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

The NFL season is 17 weeks long.

With each team having a bye week that means each team plays 16 games, however that last week is nothing like the other 16.

Football is a grueling sport and at the end of the day teams that won’t be going to the playoffs have little to play for. Teams that already have locked their place into the playoffs have little to play for- they don’t want to risk injuries to their stars before the playoffs. Take the case of Pittsburgh, who saw their star quarterback suffer a concussion in a meaningless Week 17 game- now they might have to enter the post-season with backup Byron Leftwich under center, not a comforting thought.

So this means that the players you have counted on all season to take you to the promise land may not be playing in the last game of the season or worse, they may play for a little bit then take the rest of the day off- like Peyton Manning always does. I will say however, it was really funny to watch Peyton on the sidelines with a headset, yelling at his backup Jim Sorgi. Imagine what it’s like to backup one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. At least he knows that he’ll get to play in at least one game every year- the last one.

The point is you don’t know who’s going to play and who’s not going to play- so trying to pick players for Week 17 is really tricky and unlike anything you’ve had to do any other time in the Fantasy Football season. Dave Richard over at CBS Sports and Matthew Berry over at ESPN know it. Most leagues only have their season run til Week 16 to avoid the chaos. 2 of my 3 leagues were done after Week 16, with only my Yahoo! league going til Week 17. As great as it was to play in the championship game, I couldn’t believe I was trying to pickup terrible Torry Holt because I thought he might actually play compared to my other stars.

All in all it’s the end to a very successful fantasy season for me, let’s see how I did:

TMG Sportsline League (13-3)

We don’t play for money but to me it’s all about the bragging rights. Maybe next year we should put some money on the line. But til next season, I can now walk around the office as the fantasy football champion. Last week I questioned my choice to start Tyler Thigpen over Tony Romo in the championship game- and the decision paid off. Once again I had great running back depth but struggled to pick the winners as I must of left a lot points on my bench. Larry Johnson is terrible and I’ll never draft him again. I’ve also learned that whoever I draft in the first round in this league will also be a bust. Thank goodness I banked on Tony Romo once again to throw my team to victory. I also made sure to take a chance rookies like Matt Forte and it’s always nice to have one of the two receivers in Arizona, last year I had Larry Fitzgerald and this year I had Anquan Boldin. I already can’t wait to start analyzing players for next year.

Yahoo! League (9-4-1)

While I was the loser in the Week 17 championship, I’m still happy to do well in what a league that was very competitive compared to last year. While my friend Sean is the comissioner in this league, I am pretty much the head recruiter. I am thrilled that Falkor and Wendi had fun playing in the league and I already have a few more people to try and get into the league for next year. I’m hoping to fill out the league with competitive managers and maybe next year we can even hold a live draft.

Diet Yahoo! League (9-5)

I ended the season as the top seed but finished 4th thanks to a disappointing playoff run, but like I said before, things are so ridiculous in a six team league that it only makes sense. This was the first team that was a clever pun on my name, and I think I’ll have to start thinking of cool names like that for future leagues. I particularity enjoyed how I actually drafted Donte Stallworth with my last pick only to drop him an hour after the draft. If this league decides to play again next year I think I’ll have to help them recruit some more players.

Well that’s it for fantasy football in 2008, I already printed out the rosts, draft results, and stats from these leagues for my archives. They might come in handy if I have to look back to see how certain leagues play out and how certain managers draft players. Til next year it’s time to sit back and enjoy the playoffs but it’s only a couple of months til April and Baseball season!

Tags: anquan boldin, byron leftwich, dave richard, donte stallworth, fantasy football, larry fitzgerald, larry johnson, matt forte, matthew berry, peyton manning, tony romo, tyler thigpen

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s week 12 of the NFL football season.

With 5 weeks left to go there’s plenty of football left to play before playoffs. However for most of my fantasy leagues there’s about 3 weeks left before playoff starts- and for many that means playing to win that last playoff spot. For those still in the race, it’s crunch time.

So let’s see where my teams stand:

TMG Sportsline League (8-3)

Pho Sho vs. Washington Generals

I barely hung on to win last week against Neal. All my running backs had great games… on my bench. I decided to put Matt Forte and Larry Johnson (I hate him so much) into the game and they both scored the lowest amount of points amongst all my RBs. That’s just my luck.

But luckily luck was on my side- going into Sunday night’s Cowboys/Redskins match up I had Tony Romo and Chris Cooley left to play. Neal had Marion Barber and Terrell Owens on his team. He quickly ran up a lead as Barber ran for the game of his life. However a Romo touchdown to Martellus Bennett (not TO) put me ahead and with all the yardage Barber put up after the Cowboys got the lead- Neal fell one point short and I won the match. I was in my room yelling at the TV telling Barber to stop running. Looks like it worked a little bit.

So here’s where my TMG league stands:

I’m playing David who’s running away with the division. His team looks like the team to beat this year and I am going to have to throw everything I got at him (maybe even Peyton Hillis?) Peter is on my tail and I gotta keep him off if I want to clinch that last playoff spot.

Yahoo! League (7-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. LastYearNvrHappened

I my record has looked  weird ever since I got that tie against Wendi but at least I know that you can tie in football.

Here’s how the playoff picture looks like in this league:

Things are looking good to get into the playoffs, I’m feeling good about this team the most. I think I have the right players and depth to take me pretty far. It’s good to see that Sean is still fighting for a playoff spot- he’s terrible despite being the comish and also crazy about fantasy football.

Diet Yahoo! League (8-3)

Here’s the playoff picture in the ridiculously small league:

Only 2 teams will not make it in- I am not worried at all about this league.

So now that I live only 2 blocks away from Mr. Days- I think I found a great spot to walk to every Sunday to catch the Patriots. Here’s hoping we don’t get wildcat’ed

Tags: chris cooley, cowboys, fantasy football, larry johnson, marion barber, martellus bennett, matt forte, peyton hillis, redskins, terrell owens, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I walked in late to a happy hour this week and my co-worker Mallory asked what took me so long. Kristen suggested that I couldn’t get away from my desk because I was too busy working on Fantasy Football.

Is it sad that she was right?

I don’t spend all day working on my team but like Facebook or Google Reader- it’s something I check on a daily basis. In the mornings and evenings I like to see what activity is happening on the waiver wire. As I read and learn breaking news from Google Reader I like to check my sites to see if I can take advantage of an injury or promotion.

I have my fantasy football obession down to a weekly routine:

Monday

There’s still some football left to play but I’m already analyzing the week that just finished- who were the top performers? What injuries might come into play for the upcoming week? Who is out there that I can pick up to improve my team?

Tuesday

The week in football is officially over and my victories and losses have been officially tallied in my leagues. The big goal on Tuesdays is to look at my team and the upcoming week- where am I going to be strong, where am I going to be weak? This is also the day I’ll make all my waiver wire claims in my work league (my Yahoo leagues let me add/drop at will, so by Tuesday I’ve already picked up all the players I need.)

Wednesday

Now that Thursday Night Football is back in style I make all my picks for the week. Both for my money pick’em pool and the side competition I have with my intern Peter. I also do a quick look at my lineup make some preliminary changes.

Thursday

By Thursday all the podcasts I regularly listen to have posted their thoughts on the upcoming week. It makes great listening material when you are on the Metro or in the gym.

Friday

I will look at my lineup and the rankings out there and make and adjust my lineup for Sunday. Using a lot of the rankings I read I will make choices on which kickers/defenses I should add/drop. I always play matchups with those positions. If I have time I’ll post my weekly rant on football on my blog as well.

Saturday

Am I caught up on those podcasts? Just getting excited about the next week in football!

Sunday

The big day! If I have a lazy Sunday I’ll have time to watch some of the pre-game shows for some last minute news and prep. I will have set my final lineups set and I have my computers ready to crunch scores as I watch the games! I cross my fingers and hope I win my games; if not I know that tomorrow I get to start all over again.

So maybe football does take a lot of my day- but to me it’s a fun obsession hobby and hey it only lasts 16 weeks.

Now on to week 10!

TMG Sportsline League (6-3)

Pho Sho vs. Wide-Eyed Pumas

Thanks to soild performances from Brandon Jacobs, Matt Forte, and even my kicker Rob Bironas; I was able to take out Josie last week. There are a few more weeks to go and it’s definitely crunch time in my league as I hope to clinch the wild card spot and make the playoffs! This week I play Lisa in what I hope to be another victory. Hopefully this will be the last week before Tony Romo (he’s my quarterback) can get back into the game.

Yahoo! League (5-2-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Roondogs

Last week wasn’t so great in this league- my team was weakened due to the bye weeks and I had no chance as Falkor rolled me like a lollipop. I now owe him a case of beer. My team is back at full strength with LT and I should be able to take on Sean and his Favre-led team. Trust me I know what it’s like to have Favre on your team, wasn’t as great as I thought. In this league I’m also waiting for Romo to return and I am handing the ball to Chad Pennington, the quarterback I used in my first fantasy football team. Problem is that two years ago he really sucked but now he’s looking really good. Let’s hope I see more of the new Chad and less of the old one.

Diet Yahoo! League (7-2)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. CoolMyTeamSucksNow

I got the L last week in this league too. I was kinda surprised to see my opponent go up really quick but taking a second look at his team I saw that I clearly underestimated his receivers. Now I am tied for first place in this league and I hope to stay up there with another win. But no promises in a league where everybody such ridiculous rosters.

I was hoping to be able to watch some of the Patriots this week but I’ll be in the middle of moving my life- more on that soon.

Tags: brandon jacobs, chad pennington, facebook, fantasy football, google, ladanian tomlinson, matt forte, metro, rob bironas, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well it’s halfway through the NFL season and more than halfway through the fantasy football season. I thought I’d take this moment to take a closer look at my players at the halfway point:

TMG Sportsline League (5-3)

Pho Sho vs. Zorntown Gorillaz

Right now I am second in my division and David is running away with the division title but I should be able to get into the playoffs if I can keep the wins coming. This week will be a challenging matchup against Josie Josie’s husband. He’s been a monster in our work league but like the Indianapolis Colts, he hasn’t started out great this season. I’m going up a really stud lineup including a WR core of Larry Fitgerald, Plaxico Burress, and Greg Jennings. I’m lucky that LT is on a bye or else I’d have no chance.

My team this season is off to a better start than last year- where I lost a whole string of games in the first half. Owning Tony Romo has been clutch and I’ll be leaning on him after he comes back from that pinky injury. While Larry Johnson has fulfilled my expectations of being a terrible first round pick, Brandon Jacobs has done a servicable job and Matt Forte as been a pleasant surprise. Thomas Jones is also doing ok- not exactly the breakout play that was hyped in the preseason but he’s already doing better than last season.

I owned Larry Fitgerald last year and this year I own Anquan Boldin- I can’t tell you how much I enjoy owning one of the two Cardinals recievers. Roddy White has to be my late round pick of the year- he’s really shaping up to be a top 10 reciever. Santonio Holmes has been a dissapointment, leaving me in a constant shuffle to fill that 3rd roster spot. Heath Miller has also dissapointment- and still sits on the waiver wire after I dropped him for Zach Miller.

Yahoo! League (5-1-1)

Pho Shizzle vs. Falkor’s Misfits

This will be another staunch matchup against Falkor, this week we put a sidebet on the game and I suspect I will have to go and buy him a case of beer after this week. Without LT on this team to play, my depth at RB is exposed. Falkor on the other hand has the power duo of Marion Barber and Clinton Portis. I should just got to the store now and have the case ready.

This team has been getting by- like I said my RB depth is terrible, besides LT and TJ I’ve been trying to build depth off the wire. I also have what should be a great roster of WRs: Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Torry Holt- three names which are bigger than their actual performance this season. I am second in this league and Falkor is third- that will probably change as I expect to take the L (maybe Donnie Avery can score me 3 TDs.)

Diet Yahoo! League (7-1)

Donte’s $37 Million vs. ChrisIsATrannyName

Bye weeks aren’t really hitting this team so I will be at full strength this week. McFadden is still battling injuries- which caused me to pick up Justin Fargas and now once again I own all the RBs in Oakland. Darren McFadden is a bit of a bust for me so far and I really gotta find a chance to dump him. I am happy to grab Tim Hightower- I’ve been watching him all season and I think he’s going to have a breakout 2nd half.

I love this team because the league is so ridiculously shallow- I feel like I drafted pretty good and it’s shown. My RB core is anchored with Brian Westbrookand Marshawn Lynch while Satana Moss, Reggie Wayne, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have done me well. There’s a lot of add/dropping in this league so I was able to bolster this lineup with Wes Welker & Torry Holt (man I love having Holt- but he’s still sucking.) Drafting Carson Palmer and Big Ben hasn’t really worked out but since this league is so shallow- I just picked up Kurt Warner and once again I have a top 5 QB. Right now I am in first and I’m trying to hold on.

Very excited to watch the Patriots tongiht- it’s going to be a really tough match and I’m already nervous about our chances to win. I also picked up Kevin Faulk in a couple of leagues so I’ll have one more player to root for tonight.

Tags: anquan boldin, brandon jacobs, colts, fantasy football, greg jennings, heath miller, ladanian tomlinson, larry fitzgerald, larry johnson, matt forte, plaxico burress, roddy white, santonio holmes, thomas jones, tony romo, zach miller

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

His name is no longer Chad Johnson. It’s Ocho Cinco.

The wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals has legally changed his last name from Johnson to Ocho Cinco- his nickname that he conceived in 2006 during the this talk with the press (I highly suggest you listen to entire 8+ minutes- it’s great stuff.)

Back in 2007 he ran into a game wearing a jersey with an “Ocho Cinco” patch attached over his last name which was removed- now his uniforms will actually have his new last name. This is a move you can only expect from a guy with a big ego. CBS Sportsline summarizes his hjinks well:

The change to Ocho Cinco is the receiver’s latest promotional move. He’s also known for his touchdown celebrations, his golden Mohawk for one season, his race against a horse and his list of defensive backs who failed to cover him.

Ok in other news I finally got my third (and final) league set up. The Yahoo! league I do with Sean every year got autodrafted at the last minute before last night’s Redskins/Giants game. This league has been autopicking teams for a few years now but Sean and I starting talking about a live draft. Unfortunately we couldn’t move on it quick enough but I think this league will live draft next year. I can’t wait. Luckily the computers over at Yahoo! have been kind to me:

Yahoo! League (Pho Shizzle)

• QB: Tony Romo (This must be the curse of Jessica Simpson- the 2nd team I got him in)
• QB: Kurt Warner (Love this guy as a backup- I think he has lots of upside)
• RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (2nd year in a row baby! In the random draw I got first pick so that means I get LT for another year)
• RB: Thomas Jones (Am I high on this guy? I have him in all three of my teams now)
• RB: Ricky Williams
• WR: Braylon Edwards
• WR: Santonio Holmes
• WR: Jerricho Cotchery
• WR: Donald Driver
• WR: Nate Burleson
• TE: Dallas Clark (Let’s hope Peyton listens to those Sprint commercials)
• TE: Zach Miller (already unloading for some RB depth)
• K: Nick Folk
• DEF: Indianapolis
• DEF: Seattle (not keeping this one for long either)

I think I got a solid team- I’m good with WRs but not on RBs- I hope to shore up with some upside guys once my extra TE and DEF clear waivers.

So after drafting three teams for the season here are some interesting trends I’ve noticed:

• Thomas Jones is on all three of my teams: I feel that he has nowhere to go but up after last season and Brett Favre is going to help the running game.
• Tony Romo is on two of my teams: not afraid of that- he’ll be a stud.
• Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Perry are on two of my teams: I had a list of upside/sleeper picks and I’m glad I got a couple of them- I am higher on Perry make an impact but most of all, I tried not to reach too much for them.
• Santonio Holmes. Donald Driver, and Jerricho Cotchery are on two of my teams: each of these recievers I feel are going to break out/do well based on what I’ve seen from their QBs. I think Rodgers will target Driver more and the increased play of Favre and Big Ben will mean good things for Holmes and Cotchery.
• I drafted Ricky Williams twice: I dumped him in my diet Yahoo! league but what can I say? I’m a sucker for his upside even though in reality it should be taken with a grain of salt.
• Nobody likes Edgerrin James: In the two leagues that were live drafted- people stayed away from him. Is he getting that old? Is he on the verge of a bad season?
• In my Sportsline league I have both NY running backs: great I might as well wear a Yankees hat.
• I now hate Lee Evans and Joey Galloway: Last year I had them both in my work league and I was excited at first- I felt they were both sleeper types that could blow up. Boy was I wrong. Galloway did fine as my #3 WR but I dropped Evans… then he got snatched up when he got warmer in the 2nd half. I now avoid them like the plague.

This Sunday I’ll have my Week 1 matchups- can’t wait to get football started!

Tags: braylon edwards, chad johnson, chris perry, colts, dallas clark, donald driver, fantasy football, jerricho cotchery, joey galloway, kurt warner, ladanian tomlinson, lee evans, nate burleson, nick folk, rashard mendenhall, ricky williams, santonio holmes, thomas jones, tony romo, zach miller

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Once again I have to apologize for more late posts- I’m blogging from my hotel room in Newton- Rebecca’s getting married this weekend and I’ve been all over the place this weekend.

Well recently we held the draft for my office’s fantasy football league. It was the first one I participated in this season and I am glad I had the chance to prepare a little for it. Here are my thoughts on the draft:

I cringed a little when I saw I drew the turn pick. It’s not totally unfamiliar territory, I got the 12th pick the first year I played in the league and I mock drafted for situations just like this. However it still doesn’t beat how much I don’t like the pick. I was dead set on grabbing one of the top RBs and I know one might not fall to me. So in the first round I was choosing between Larry Johnson and Clinton Portis.

I chose Johnson over Portis.  My logic at the time was that Portis’s injury risk wasn’t worth his possible upside in a new system. I also was thinking Johnson would get the rock more since KC has no passing game. However this pick I’m probably regretting a bit looking at Johnson’s preseason play. Who knows maybe I’ll be right.

I turned around in the 2nd round and immediately picked Tony Romo. I had him last year and loved him- but also in my mock drafts I have seen QB runs occur WAY TO EARLY! I think last year’s performances have made QBs the new black. Also this league all TDs are worth 6pts- which also increases Romo’s value. My theory was validated when I saw six more QBs get drafted after I got Romo. People just wanted to get their hands on a QB- however I think Eli Manning in the 2nd round was a little ridiculous (sorry Clarence I think he would of been there rounds later.) Runs on WR helped me grabbed Brandon Jacobs in the 3rd round.

I won’t bore you with the rest of the draft but I’ll say the pick I am most excited about is Thomas Jones in the 7th round- I am on board with a possible comeback season this year. So here’s my team and some comments:

TMG Sportsline Team (Pho Shizzle)

• QB: Tony Romo (He’ll be a stud- as long Jessica Simpson stays away)
• RB: Larry Johnson (I’m growing more and more worried about this guy, let’s hope Herm doesn’t run him too ragged)
• RB: Brandon Jacobs
• WR: Anquan Boldin (Ya he wants to be traded but so did Chad Johnson. I think Boldin will realize he’ll have to earn his money on the field)
• WR: Santonio Holmes (I am also high on this guy performing better than a WR2)
• WR: Roddy White (For a WR3- I like this guy a lot)
• TE: Heath Miller
• K: Neal Rackers (I didn’t draft him from the video but he’s a kicker- who cares)
• DST: Packers
• WR: Ted Ginn Jr. (Here’s hoping Chad Pennington can still throw)
• WR: Jabar Gaffney (With the Pats who knows who’ll get the TDs)
• RB:Thomas Jones
• RB: Matt Forte (Lottery ticket #1)
• RB: Rashard Mendenhall (Lottery ticket #2)

What do you guys think? Good team? Horrid team?

Tags: anquan boldin, brandon jacobs, chad pennington, clinton portis, eli manning, fantasy football, heath miller, jabar gaffney, larry johnson, matt forte, neal rackers, packers, rashard mendenhall, roddy white, santonio holmes, ted ginn jr, thomas jones, tony romo, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

My love for football has grown steadily since college. From watching Patriots games freshman year to fantasy football last year. Now I’m in two fantasy football leagues and I’m even enjoying watching college football games. My how love flourishes. I think I may have reached the point where Sundays are just going to be useless.

This past week I drafted my team in my office league, I’m satisfied with my choices. I grabbed Shaun Alexander and Tony Romo and even drafted two players that caused me grief last year, LaMont Jordan and Joey Galloway; however with all the preparation I did this year I made sure I grabbed them later in the draft so I wasn’t wasting my picks. Man I feel like a football dork.
But back to Earth for a minute, I enjoyed Labor Day by watching Superbad with Doug. It is by far one of the best movies I’ve seen since Anchorman. It’s the American Pie for a new generation… which really doesn’t make sense since we are the American Pie generation… oh well.

Wednesday’s kickball match was an utterly disappointing loss but we made it up in flipcup afterwards. Ya I woke up the next day without my contacts, car, and sharpie on my left arm. It was one of those nights.

Friday we all celebrated Emily and Laura’s birthday at, where else, Union Jacks. It was an ok night- I wasn’t feeling the tunes the DJ was pumping out.

I don’t know why but last week was all about not sleeping. After three hours of sleep on Wednesday I got just about the same amount after Union Jacks. Why? Because I was smart enough to schedule to bring my car in for an oil change at 8 AM on a Saturday. Ugh- never again. The state inspector was out so that means I gotta bring my car back- and I have to fix my turn signal light before I can get it inspected… great…

At least last night was fun… kinda. Sarah, LJ and his sister Leigh, and I went to the Red Sox/Oriole’s game. LJ and Leigh are Sox fans and I was excited to get a chance to see Dice-K pitch. However Dice-K kinda blew the game and I had to put up with mocking from Sarah instead.

The times after the baseball game were much better. We all went to Fells Point and met out with Cliff and Eliza at Max’s. It was a pretty cool bar with all kinds of different beer but more importantly, multiple TV’s showing all kinds of NCAA games. LJ and I were engrossed with the SFU/Auburn game. It was an intense game that came down to overtime. If you arn’t familiar with NCAA rules for overtime in football, then you should check them out, it lends for lots of suspense.

Ok enough writing I gotta get back to watching the Redskins game- Portis isn’t doing that bad so far… maybe I should of drafted him again too.

Tags: american pie, anchorman, baltimore, bethesda, blog, camden yards, clinton portis, daisuke matsuzaka, fantasy football, fantasy sports, football, joey galloway, kickball, lamont jordan, orioles, patriots, red sox, redskins, shaun alexander, superbad, tony romo