For the vast majority of us, the fantasy season is over. Some of us lost already. Some of us made the championship and won, some of us made it and lost, and some of those championships hinder on the success or failure of players in tonight Falcons-Saints game.
And boy are there are a lot of important fantasy players in tonight's game, so it would come as no surprise that many championships are still yet decided.
I made one championship game and I have won the title with Vick, Rice, Spiller, Megatron, Roddy, and company. The good news is that I won, it's a keeper league, ultra-competitive, and my second straight championship after years of failure in the baseball league. The bad news is that I win no money. Honestly, I don't think I can ever do a non-money league again unless it's a favor for a friend.
Without lots of $$ on the line, I just can't get excited for it. There has to be something on the line for me to get pumped up for it. Maybe if it was a league with half girls, half guys, and "Strip Fantasy Football." but it's probably just safer to play for money.
Most of the games got done on Saturday, but I took Christmas off like most shmucks so here they are. The complete breakdown of all games. For those of you who have fantasy games in week 17, we will still be here. Why stop now?
Buffalo, NY Determined to be Gateway to Hell after Tim Tebow Loses to Bills
We knew that Tebow's kryptonite was "good teams" so why did he just get dominated by Buffalo, 40-14? Now, did he give up the 40 points? No, he just gave up 14 of those points on late back-to-back interceptions returned for touchdowns.
In fact, the Buffalo offense only outscored the Denver offense by 19-14, but the defense of the Bills plus a Leodis McKelvin 80-yard punt return for a TD aided the blowout.
Tim Tebow was 13 of 30 for 185 yards, 1 TD/4 INT and he ran for 34 yards and a TD. It will be interesting to see what unfolds now: Tebow wins the last game of the year, the Broncos make the playoffs, maybe pull of an upset, and Tebow has the job for the entire off-season probably. Or they lose and people go back to not believing that Tebow is Jesus.
Willis McGahee ran for 64 yards and now has 1,054 yards rushing on the season. Demaryius Thomas didn't have a huge game, but he did have 4 catches on 8 targets for 76 yards. If Tebow remains the starter, Thomas will be a top sleeper for 2012.
Daniel Fells caught a TD pass for the Broncos.
The Bills ended a 7-game losing streak. Unbelievable that they were 5-2 to start the season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was 15 of 27 for 196 yards, 0 TD/0 INT.
C.J. Spiller has indeed proven to be a critical late-season pick-up and had 111 yards rushing with a score. Maybe getting more comfortable in the offense late in the year will help him transition into being a starter down the road or at the very least, a Darren Sproles-like back that makes the most with 10-15 touches per game.
Stevie Johnson caught 4 of 7 targets for 92 yards. He is 36 yards shy of his second-straight under-the-radar 1,000 yard season.
Possible #1 Seed Ravens Beat Definite-Terrible-Team Browns by Only Six Points
Call me crazy, but the Ravens don't look like much of a Super Bowl contender to me, despite the fact that they could still wind up with the number one seed. The Ravens four losses this year have been to the: Titans, Jaguars, Seahawks, and Chargers. Only the Titans have a shot at the playoffs and it's a longshot at that.
They beat the Steelers twice and the 49ers, but haven't faced that much quality competition. How will they face against the Steelers a third time, or the Patriots, or the Bengals for a third time? As a matter of fact, the AFC looks pretty weak at this moment. I guess we'll see.
One of the main reasons I don't like Baltimore is Joe Flacco, who was 11 of 24 for 132 yards, 2 TD/1 INT. Most of his numbers are career-worst, he has a QB rating under 80 (lower than Fitzpatrick) and he's completing less than 57% of his passes. The Ravens looking for a new QB after this year? How would Peyton Manning like Baltimore?
Ray Rice is not part of the problem. He had 87 yards rushing plus 48 yards receiving with a touchdown. He's right on the edge of career-highs in receiving numbers.
Another reason for the Ravens to worry is the loss of Anquan Boldin. Rice led the team in receiving and Torrey Smith had just 2 catches on 8 targets for 38 yards. Ed Dickson caught the other touchdown pass.
At least they aren't the Browns. Cleveland has lost 5 straight games, but there is some good news on the horizon. They can lose to Pittsburgh this week and possibly finish with the fourth pick in the draft. With Colt McCoy having a bad second year and then realizing that they had to turn to Seneca Wallace when McCoy went out, then Cleveland should realize that they NEED to draft a quarterback.
The Browns have the most ammunition in the 2012 draft because of holding onto Atlanta's first round pick as well. Can't wait to find out who has the #1 pick after next week. The Browns would do well to get Andrew Luck, or to possibly wait and draft Robert Griffin. Either way, they HAVE to get a QB. In my opinion.
Wallace was 19 of 33 for 147 yards, 1 TD/1 INT.
Peyton Hillis was good and had 112 yards rushing. Not taking into account most of the middle of the season when he was hurt, Hillis has indeed been a disappointment, but he hasn't been incapable of playing well either. He could be a sleeper for 2012, depending on where he is playing.
Greg Little caught 4 of 7 targets for 40 yards. The rookie has 709 yards on the season and will be a definite sleeper for 2012, also depending on who the QB is. Evan Moore caught a TD.
God Wants Everyone to Know that Cam Newton is His Real Son
All that confusion by Tebow this season and we forgot that Jesus was probably not white.
Newton might not be making the playoffs this year, but he's putting together a year that should worry the Saints and Falcons for years to come. I mean, seriously, does everything have to be about Tebow leading the Broncos to a probable first round playoff defeat, if they can even get there?
Last year the Panthers were 2-14 and last in the NFL in scoring. Dead last. Also dead last in passing yards and passing touchdowns. and last in yards per pass attempt. This season, Carolina is 6-9, have won four of their last five games, is 5th in scoring offense, 4th in total offense, 11th in passing yards, 13th in passing touchdowns, and 9th in yards per pass attempt. On top of that, the Panthers were 31st in rushing touchdowns and now rank first.
Newton is the record-holder for passing yards for a rookie and rushing touchdowns for a quarterback of any level of experience. Don't be fooled, Tim Tebow is not the future of the NFL, Newton is if anyone is. The Panthers have only really been blown out once this year, and they have gone from the worst team in the NFL to one of the top rising teams and Newton is the key difference.
He was 12 of 17 for 171 yards, 3 TD/0 INT plus 65 yards rushing with a TD against the Bucs in a 48-16 win. Newton as the top pick in 2012 fantasy drafts?
Jonathan Stewart had 88 yards rushing plus a touchdown catch. DeAngelo Williams had 66 yards and 2 TDs. Brandon LaFell had 103 yards on 3 catches with a TD. Jeremy Shockey also caught a TD pass.
Steve Smith was a championship dud with just 1 catch for 9 yards.
So the Panthers are going up and the Bucs are sliding faster than anyone in the league, including the Bills. Tampa Bay started 4-2 but has lost 9 straight games since and Raheem Morris may not have a job by the time I finish this sentence.
Josh Freeman was 28 of 38 for 274 yards, 1 TD/1 INT and 1 rushing TD. Is Freeman part of the problem? It's true that he's had a bad season, but I don't think you replace Freeman. The Bucs, the league's youngest team, can't run the ball effectively and have allowed the most points in the league. Draft defense.
LeGarrette Blount fumbled on his first carry and was subsequently benched. He has been pretty terrible at times this season. I wouldn't draft him as a starting running back next season.
Mike Williams caught 4 of 11 targets for 39 yards. He doesn't have a 100-yard game this season. Arrelious Benn had a TD catch. Kellen Winslow had 6 catches for 63 yards.
Teams Scrambling to Sign and Cut Terrell Owens After Bengals Control Own Playoff Destiny
Seems everyone gets better when they get rid of Owens.
So here we sit, with Cincinnati just one win away from securing a wild card berth. Pretty unbelievable considering that they have moved on from Ochocinco, Carson Palmer, and Terrell Owens in 2010 to become a much better and more efficient team while nice guy Marvin Lewis can keep his job for even longer.
The Bengals beat the Cardinals 23-16 and must beat the Ravens to make the playoffs for just the third time since 1990.
Andy Dalton was 18 of 31 for 154 yards, 2 TD/0 INT. He has 5 TD/1 INT over his last five games. Is Dalton on his way to being a star? I don't think so, but he's having a hell of a rookie year and that should be noted.
Cedric Benson had 57 yards rushing and is over 1,000 yards for the third straight year. Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson each caught a TD pass. A.J. Green was held to 25 yards on 2 catches on 10 targets. Simpson had an awesome flip into the end zone but he's still way too inconsistent to be considered a starter every week. So next season, I'd put him as a decent bench WR.
The Cardinals hot streak was put to an end and 16 fourth quarter points couldn't complete the comeback in time, especially after Early Doucet fell down on a crucial play in the fourth quarter.
John Skelton was 23 of 44 for 297 yards, 2 TD/3 INT. Beanie Wells had 53 yards rushing and his first 1,000 yard season in the NFL.
Larry Fitzgerald had 6 catches for 105 yards and a TD. He is averaging a career-high 17.8 yards per catch this season. Andre Roberts was targeted 10 times and caught 6 for 75. Jeff King caught a TD pass. Doucet had 47 yards.
Chiefs Eliminated from Playoffs? I thought that happened in week two.
The Raiders beat the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime and officially eliminated them from a race in the AFC West that was entirely too close. Seriously, how flawed is every team in that division? Making my NFC West brethren look good in comparison.
Carson Palmer was 16 of 26 for 237 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. If you think that Palmer all of a sudden "lost it" this year, you should remember that he hasn't been good since 2006.
Michael Bush ran for 70 yards and is 89 yards short of 1,000.
Denarius Moore had 94 yards and a TD. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a 53 yard catch to start overtime that setup Sebastian Janikowski for the win, and DHB finished with 70 yards.
Kyle Orton was 21 of 36 for 300 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. What will Orton do next year and where will he be playing? It seems that for some reason Orton became the most overrated QB in the league because people view him as a "starter" and he's not yet proven that.
Jackie Battle had 56 yards rushing. Dexter McCluster caught 5 passes for 89 yards. Dwayne Bowe had 6 catches for 80 yards and a TD, he has over 1,000 yards for the third time in four seasons despite not having a 100-yard game since week five. He was targeted 13 times.
Dolphins Tire of "Only scaring" Patriots, lose 27-24
The Dolphins led 17-0 at halftime and I still just wondered "How long will it take for the Patriots to take the lead?" without questioning whether or not it would happen.
New England scored 17 unanswered in the third and then another 10 unanswered in the fourth until the Dolphins finally put a score up with a minute left but it was too little too late.
Tom Brady was 27 of 46 for 304 yards, 1 TD/0 INT. It was only the second time all year that Brady threw for less than two touchdowns, but he ran for two scores on Saturday as well. Brady is having a great year, posting the highest YPA of his career.
Stevan Ridley ran for 64 yards. He may be a sleeper next year, depending on how crowded the backfield still is after free agency shakes out.
Wes Welker caught 12 passes for 138 yards. Welker broke out in 2007 playing next to Randy Moss when Moss broke the franchise record for yards in a season. Welker now has the record all by himself four years later with 1,518 yards and one game left to play.
Rob Gronkowski had 7 catches for 78 yards. If you drafted Brady/Welker/Gronkowski, I can't see how you would be in a bad position this season and you probably won your league title. Deion Branch had 37 yards and a TD catch.
Matt Moore was 17 of 23 for 294 yards, 3 TD/1 INT. Moore was a QB rating just shy of 90 and has played over twice as many snaps as his previous career-high. Will the Dolphins still target a QB this off-season?
Reggie Bush had 113 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game, and his first career 1,000 yard season.
Brandon Marshall had 7 catches for 156 yards and a TD. Devone Bess and Charles Clay also caught touchdown passes.
Rex Ryan Forgets to Tell Mark Sanchez that this Game was Important, Jets Lose to Giants 29-14
So all of the hype around the "New York game" and the Giants handled the Jets pretty easily while Sanchez threw a career-high 59 passes and still got nowhere.
He was 30 of 59 for 258 yards, 1 TD/2 INT with a fumble. Will the Ravens go after Manning? Well, they'd have competition from the Jets, who really need a real quarterback. 24 touchdown passes? Cool, that just emphasizes how a person can throw 24 touchdowns and still have a QB rating under 80. Sanchez's days are numbered when he doesn't make the AFC Championship game.
Shonn Greene had 58 yards rushing. Sanchez ran one in.
Plaxico Burress caught 3 of 7 targets for 34 yards. Santonio Holmes caught 4 of 10 for 50 yards. Dustin Keller 8 of 20 targets for 77 yards. 20 targets.
Josh Baker caught a TD pass.
Eli Manning was 9 of 27 for 225 yards, 1 TD/1 INT.
Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 54 yards and 2 TDs. Brandon Jacobs had 42 yards. Victor Cruz had 3 catches for 164 yards and a TD. An undrafted free agent playing in his first full season is the Giants franchise record holder for yards in a season with 1,358.
Hakeem Nicks caught 1 of 7 targets for 20 yards.
"Rams Beat Steelers" as in "Steelers start Charlie Batch and Rams Beat Them for an Even Worse Starting QB with Kellend Clemens" Not as in the Rams Beat the Steelers in the Game
Because the Steelers won 27-0 without Ben Roethlisberger.
Batch was 15 of 22 for 208 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. Rashard Mendenhall had 116 yards and a TD. He is 110 yards short of 1,000. Isaac Redman and John Clay ran for touchdowns as well.
Mike Wallace caught 4 passes for 82 yards. Antonio Brown had 3 for 34 and is over 1,000 yards for the first time in his young career.
Kellen Clemens was 9 of 24 for 91 yards, 0 TD/0 INT. Steven Jackson had 103 yards. Brandon Lloyd had 3 catches for 29 yards.
Much more on the Rams future after the final standings are.. final.
Titans Beat the Jags. Sigh, is the season over?
Hard to get excited about every game this late in the year. I have nothing to really say about this game. The Titans kept their playoff hopes alive. The Jags actually play in a meaningful game next week if they can lose to the Colts.
That's all I got.
Blaine Gabbert was 21 of 42 for 198 yards, 0 TD/1 INT. I don't think the Jags should give up on Gabbert, but I wouldn't pass on Robert Griffin if given the chance.
Maurice Jones-Drew had 103 yards and a TD. Jarrett Dillard led the team with 5 catches for 61 yards.
Matt Hasselbeck was 24 of 40 for 350 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. How good is Hass this season? Better than he was his last three years in Seattle, still not very good. He has 2 TD/7 INT in his last 6 games.
Chris Johnson had 56 yards and is 14 yards shy of a 1,000 yard season. Despite sucking for most of the year, Johnson hasn't been hurt at all. Which only raises the question "WTF?" for the young and ineffective former top back.
Jared Cook blew up for 8 catches, 169 yards, 1 TD. Damian Williams had 8 catches for 83 yards. Nate Washington had 4 catches for 71 yards and is 79 yards shy of 1000.
Vikings Blow Their Chance, Beat the Redskins Like a Bunch of Idiots
Well, the Vikings had a shot at picking first but then blew it and beat the Redskins! What silly fools!
Christian Ponder was 8 of 13 for 68 yards, 0 TD/0 INT and hurt his head. Joe Webb came in and was 4 of 5 for 84 yards, 2 TD/0 INT plus 34 yards rushing with a TD. Webb might be limited but he's damn interesting.
Toby Gerhart had 109 yards rushing on 11 carries and Adrian Peterson had 38 yards and a TD before getting hurt himself.
Percy Harvin had 5 catches for 65 yards and a TD. Kyle Rudolph also had a TD catch.
The Redskins have more QB problems on their hands than most teams and moved up the draft boards a little bit. Rex Grossman was 26 of 41 for 284 yards, 2 TD/1 INT.
Evan Royster filled in for Roy Helu and ran for 132 yards on 19 carries.
Jabar Gaffney had 6 catches for 77 yards and a TD. Gaffney has been in the league since 2002 with four different teams and he has a career high in yards with 919, his 64 catches is one short of a career-high, and 5 TDs is tied for a career-high.
Santana Moss had 4 catches for 46 yards. Donte Stallworth had 5 catches for 59 yards and a TD.
The Lions are in the Playoffs, Setting in Motion the Events of 2012 and the End of the World
Not only are the Lions in the playoffs for the first time since 1999, they've won their most games since 1995 and they are 3 points shy of a franchise record for points in a season. Stafford and Megatron are setting the stage for a potentially exciting NFC playoffs, though they will be on the road to start the show.
Matthew Stafford was 29 of 36 for 373 yards, 3 TD/0 INT. At only 23, he's one of the top QBs in the league.
Kevin Smith was active and ran for 49 yards with a TD plus a touchdown catch.
Calvin Johnson had 4 catches on 6 targets for 102 yards and his 15th TD of the season. Nate Burleson caught 6 for 83 yards, he's been a consistent and unspectacular option all year. Brandon Pettigrew had 9 catches for 80 yards and a TD.
On the other side of the ball were the Chargers, a team that needed to win and completely folded up despite the fact that it's not October. At least we can forget about Norv Turner being an NFL head coach anymore.
Philip Rivers hadn't thrown an INT in a month but was 28 of 53 for 299 yards, 1 TD/2 INT.
Ryan Mathews had 58 yards on 11 carries. Malcom Floyd had 6 catches for 95 yards and a TD. Vincent Jackson had 2 catches for 41 yards. Antonio Gates had 4 catches for 40 yards.
Eagles Win a Game That Looks Meaningful but Wasn't, Cowboys Lose a Game That Looks Meaningful but Wasn't
You'd think that the Eagles pulling to within one game of the lead in the NFC East and knocking back the Cowboys would mean something, but because of the 8-7 Cowboys playing the 8-7 Giants last week, the Eagles will not be able to make the playoffs.
LeSean McCoy is a beast but the Eagles didn't deserve to go to the playoffs this year and the dream team blew their opportunity.
Tony Romo blew up his hand like a pineapple and missed basically the entire game. Stephen McGee was 24 of 38 for 182 yards, 1 TD/0 INT. Felix Jones also got hurt and ran only 4 times for 24 yards.
Sammy Morris had 29 yards on 13 carries.
Dez Bryant had 6 catches for 62 yards. He's explosive, but hasn't topped 100 yards all season long. How is that possible? Miles Austin had 40 yards and a TD for the third straight game. Jason Witten had 4 catches for 42 yards. He's been highly unproductive in the second half of the season. Laurent Robinson finally had a bad game, with only 1 catch for 5 yards.
On the Eagles side, the winning side, there were a couple of good performances.
Michael Vick had 18 of 32 passing with 293 yards, 2 TD/0 INT.
McCoy was held to 35 yards rushing. DeSean Jackson had 5 catches for 90 yards and is 125 yards shy of his third straight 1,000 yard season. Jeremy Maclin had 5 catches for 72 yards and a TD. Brent Celek had 52 yards and a score.
Seahawks Lose to 49ers when they Miss Opportunity to Miss a FG
It must be nice to have a 2-minute QB, but the Hawks don't have that. Tarvaris Jackson isn't close to being that dependable and Seattle still needs to find it's next QB.
Seattle had the game in it's hands and let it slip away and San Francisco is still shooting for a favorable road to the Super Bowl.
Alex Smith was 14 of 26 for 179 yards, 0 TD/0 INT. Smith hasn't thrown an interception in the last 4 games and still only has 5 on the year.
Frank Gore had 83 yards and a TD. Kendall Hunter was dynamic in relief with a career-high 73 yards on 12 carries.
Michael Crabtree had 5 catches for 85 yards and Vernon Davis had 4 for 54. Crabtree had a career-high 788 yards this season.
Jackson was 15 of 28 for 163 yards, 1 TD/0 INT. It's not that Jackson can't be competent at QB, but you can't count on him either at the end of games.
Marshawn Lynch did what no other running back has done this season: he had over 100 yards (107) against the 49ers and a rushing TD against them too.
Undrafted free agent wide receiver Ricardo Lockette led the team with 44 yards receiving (on one catch at the start of the game) and another undrafted free agent wide receiver, Doug Baldwin, caught a TD pass. Seattle might seem like they're deep at WR, but we've seen how quickly they deteriorate with a couple injuries and injury prone players.
You Mean Josh McCown Couldn't Beat the Packers? Noooo. Am I Being Sarcastic? Nooooo.
Bears-Packers sure looked good on paper for a Sunday Night game a few weeks ago but a few injuries to the Bears and it was anything but good on paper or good on grass.
Aaron Rodgers was 21 of 29 for 283 yards, 5 TD/0 INT. He is 5 TD shy of 50, in case he wants some crazy number like that. He's already got the MVP on lockdown for the 14-1 Packers.
Ryan Grant led them with 44 yards.
Jordy Nelson had 115 yards and 2 TDs and is over 1000 yards for the first time in his career. James Jones had 50 yards and 2 TDs. Jermichael Finley had the other TD and is still easily one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
McCown was 19 of 28 for 242 yards, 1 TD/2 INT. Kahlil Bell had an interesting game, rushing for 121 yards and receiving for 38. He did fumble twice.
Roy Williams had 6 catches for 81 yards. Kellen Davis caught a TD.
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Anybody have a lot riding on the line tonight?