Well, it ain't weekly...

A couple weeks ago, I chided myself for posting about once a week.  Then, posting stopped altogether.  Who knows.

What I can say is that I received a bubbleope full of Indians cards from Kerry Biggs this week! Wahoo!!

I will be posting the full package later today, but thought I would throw in a little teaser:

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On another note, I have no illusions of grandeur when it comes to my fantasy football skills - I know my teams (no matter what sport) will struggle to stay out of last place.  But, like any team owner, any win is a great feeling.

The TurfDiggers are now 1-4-0 with a loss last week.  Given the state of Tribecards lately, it is no surprise that the one week I do *not* post anything, the team had won that week.Ah, what a strange bird am I.

The Dive Bombers actually *did* win last week, bringing their record to 1-3-0 and putting them in 9th place overall (out of 14 teams). 

A freind of mine said, "Fantasy football has runied the game.  People don't root for teams anymore, just the players on their fantasy teams."  This was his observation after watching a game at a bar a few weeks ago.  While there may be some truth to that, I believe folks still have their favorite team.  Of course, part of his comment deals with the individual performances of the players as well.  Even if one has players from one's favorite team, when those players don't do well, the comments are often directed toward fantasy points rather than the actual player's demonstration.  Before widespread fantasy sports, only the truly stat-oriented followers gave a rip about all the numbers involved.  For me, I just watched and hope the steelers were going to pummel whatever team they were playing that week and held the same hopes that Dallas would suffer at the hands of thier weekly opponent.  Nowadays, I still feel that way, except that I have Dallas players on my fantasy team.  So, while I want the team to lose, it sure would be nice if "my guys" would have a great game anyway.

For those that don't know - I grew up in/around Pittsburgh and have been a die-hard Steelers fan since before I knew what a football was.  Watching the rivalry between the Steelers and Cowboys in the 70's, I have no love loss anytime the Cowboys crash and burn.

The reality of fantasy

Week 1 - Tribecards Turfdiggers Break Out Shovels Early - The Turfdiggers fantasy football team in the Super Secret League fell to the Outlaws in the first week of NFL action.  Overall, the Turfdiggers sit in 7th place, barely edging out the Foxhounds to remain above last place.

Where did the team go wrong?  For starters, Big Ben blew chunks. Three interceptions and two lost fumbles killed the Turfdiggers chances of anything good from the field commander spot.  Mike Wallace fared well, but Heath Miller was essentially taken out because of the turnovers.  That's what I get for loading my team up with Steelers (or anyone team) I suppose. I also did not activate certain players who would have made this an entirely different first week.  Benched players included: BenJarvis Green-Ellis (7.70), Kenny Britt (18.80), and Josh Freeman (10.28). Sure, Freeman did not have a great game either, but still blew Benny out of the water this week.

On the upside (that is, what kept me out of last place), Greg Jennings (10.45), Ahmad Bradshaw (8.70), and Anquan Boldin (9.70) kept the Turfdiggers out of the six-foot hole being dug by the rest of the team.  Defensively, Chicago scored more points for the team than any of the players (24.00).

It's time for some changing in Turfdiggerton.

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In the Turner Football League, the Divebombers ended up just shy of middle ground for the first week.  The TFL is unlike any other league I've played: two divisions, choose actual defensive players as well as a team defense, and other scoring-related differences.  I don't understand it all, but then again that never really stopped me from jumping into something.

The Divebombers' biggest issue: player selection. I missed the live draft, so I was not able to keep my team from having key players picked off before I could stop the bleeding.  Sure, I ended up with a couple good uns, but much of the team is comprised of players who will most likely never see the light of day.  Hopefully that will change over time as other teams dump players I can snag up.

On the upside, Cutler (55.00), Rice (41.00), and Tolbert (32.00) racked up really positive points.  Okay, just pulling out the alliteration there for effect. It was a bit a much, I know.  In other leagues, anyone snagging double-digits are highlight reel material for me.  In this one, nearly everyone playing for the Divebombers grabbed double digits.  I'll learn how that plays out over time.

The best thing I can say is that my benched players were non-existent.  Between the five benched players, they scored a whopping 12.00 points.  Whew! Of the options I had, I made the right choice.  That's the best you can do, right?

Okay, so defensively, Pittsburgh scored 50.00 points. I need to compare that to other teams just to see how that fits in line with things in general. It sounds good to me, but for all I know, in this league 50 points is the equivalent of last place. I dunno. Will check it out.  I also had two empty slots on the defensive team. That was just an oversight on my part and the players I ended up with would not have contributed all that much.

So, in the TFL, the Divebombers are in 9th out of 14 teams.  In my division, the team sits in 5th place of seven.

No matter how you cut it, the Divebombers did better than the Turfdiggers.  Let's see what happens next week!

Turfdiggers Tuesday

It's official - the Turfdiggers squeeze out a win over the Foxhounds in the Super Secret League, giving the team a 5th place overall finish on the season.  The team scored just 4.11 points more than their opponent to snag the 5th place finish.

The final season standings look like this:

League Champion - Seymour Bengals
2nd - Florida Vikings
3rd - East TN Roadkill
4th - The Red Grange Halls
5th - Tribecards Turfdiggers
6th - Fighting Foxhounds
7th - Gold Sox
8th - Stumbling Blox

The final standings show what a difference one or two weeks can make. The Halls led the league for much (if not all) of the season, only to fall during the playoffs to 4th place. I have to admit, I was totally surprised to see that. Equally surprising? The Stumbling Blox ended up in last. By all accounts, either the Turfdiggers or the Foxhounds "belong" at the bottom. Alas, just like in "real life," the playoffs can change everything.

The Turfdiggers started off pretty well, but quickly headed into a free fall during some of the most critical games of the season.  Things eventually slowed after a nearly complete reworking of the team, but that like putting an adhesive bandage on a broken nose.

I want to thank Mark for inviting the team back again this season!  It was a lot of fun!

Turfdiggers Tues...er...Wednesday

This week's update comes on Wednesday instead of Tuesday because of the Vikings/Eagles game.  I don't know how the rest of the world feels about the delay, but for my Turfdiggers, it paid off.

Vick earned 14.41 points for the team, but what really boosted the team into the fight for 5th was the performances by Danny Woodhead (12.25 points) and Mike Williams (14.20 points).  Those guys rocked it out this past week, carrying the Turfdiggers to a victory over Stumbling Blox.

This week's matchup pits the Turfdiggers against the Fighting Foxhounds for the 5th place league finish.  I'm hoping the Turfdiggers can pull it off!  In fact, I've got to go set my roster...

Turfdiggers Tuesday - End of Regular Season

In what has become all too familiar, the Tribecards Turfdiggers fell to the Gold Sox this past week in the Super Secret League fantasy football program.  This mean the Turfdiggers end the regular season in 7th out of 8 places, beating out only the Fighting Foxhounds overall.

Last season, the team then known as the Trouncers, also finished 7th, but that was out of 10 teams instead of eight.  Amazingly, the Turfdiggers and the Trouncers amassed the exact same record: 5-10-0.  At least I've proven to be consistent.

As things turn out, in the consolation round of the 2010 playoffs, the Turfdiggers and the Gold Sox could face each other again to determine who goes on to finish in 5th place for the league.  Here's how things line up:  Turfdiggers vs Stumbling Blox and Fighting Foxhounds vs Gold Sox, the winners of each of those matchups will play each other for 5th place overall.

The Turfdiggers started the season with a 3-game winning streak.  In the 4th week, that was snapped by the league-leading Red Grange Halls and continued for five additional weeks.  No other team in the league (not even last-place Foxhounds) had a 6-week losing streak.  Trades, drops and adds took place in which the team hoped to pull themselves out of the free fall.  Finally, at wit's end in desperation, much of the team was dropped and new players added.  While this resulted in a win the week the shake-up occurred, the relief was short-lived.  The three weeks following that win were met wit with frustrating losses.

The number one issue with the team this season seemed to be one of timing.  Many of the weeks in which the Turfdiggers lost, the team could have won if benched players had been played.  That is the luck and life of any fantasy football team manager.  We are at the mercy of the players we hold and the decisions (some of which are last-minute game day decisions) we make in playing or benching our guys.  It is also why we love to come back season after season to try it again.

I'd love for the Turfdiggers to pull off a 5th place overall finish.  Heck, I'd even take 6th at this point.  Haha, yeah, if you know me, I'm just happy not to be in last.  Though, that could actually still happen if the Foxhounds win and the Turfdiggers lose in the consolation round.  Let's not even think about that. 

It is Christmas, after all.

Turfdiggers Tuesday

It's been a few weeks since I last posted about the Turfdiggers.  Basically, the team had been falling down and down without any glimmer of hope.  Or so I thought.  This past week, the Turfdiggers pulled a decisive win over the Stumbling Blox, nabbing 74.10 points.

The number one reason for the win? The Steelers defense - 3 INTs and 2 TDs. Gotta love the Black-n-Gold!

As usual, though, I benched most of the highest-performing players on my team.  I truly have no knack for knowing which players to play and which to bench.  For me, the whole thing is a crap shoot, and usually that is exactly what I come up with.  This week, I put Hines Ward and Felix Jones on the sidelines. Not smart.

Well, with the win, the Turfdiggers find themselves alone in 7th place (er, yeah, out of 8 teams).  Last season, I was also in 7th place. Back then, we had 10 teams though, so it didn't feel quite so close to the bottom.  With one weeks left, I could theoretically move up to 5th place.  I'll be facing off against Gold Sox.  This will be the third time our two teams play and the series is split. 

If the Gold Sox and Stumbling Blox both lose, we would have the same record three ways (6-9-0) but I should pull ahead in points to take the 5th place spot.  Sure, there's no playoffs for that spot, but it would be the highest finish the team has had yet! Okay, okay, I know the team has only been around two seasons, but still.  Plus, if the Commissioner feels generous, I could move up.

I'm hoping to keep improving so I can eventually move up to the Red Headed League! (That's the "Upper Echelon" bracket for the group that takes part in this two-tier league).

Turfdiggers Tuesday - D.U.S.T.E.D. I got Dusted

For a brief moment, that is at sometime late on Sunday, it looked like the Turfdiggers had a chance.  That completely disappeared when Phillip Rivers dominated on Monday night, scoring 29.96 fantasy points alone. The Turfdiggers never saw what hit them as they fell 106.66 to 75.61 against the Red Grange Halls.

The managing problems continue for the team.  Shiancoe scored just .30 points.  Brandon Marshall had 2.05 points.  Felix Jones, just 2.30.  On the bench, Woodhead scored 10.50 and Cooley had 4.55 points.  As it turns out, none of that mattered, really, in the loss due to the Grange Halls' incredible performance.  As NFL head coaches are getting fired for bad performance, all I can say is that I'm lucky this is Fantasy Football!

There were some highlights on the Turfdiggers (at least as far as the team is concerned), such as Michael Vick's 12.86, Santana Moss' 11.30 and Mike Williams' 8.70 points.  The shakeup that helped pull of a victory last week just wasn't enough again the league-leading team this week. 

The Turfdiggers and the Foxhounds are now both 4-7-0.  Next week, the team faces the second place Florida Vikings.  With only 6 games left in the regular fantasy season, the guys could theoretically still pull off a first place finish.  I wouldn't bet on that one.  What could actually happen, though?  Well, we could at least make the playoffs.  Here's hoping, but not holding my breath.

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Turfdiggers received a much-needed win this week, thanks to the acquisition of one Michael Vick! He single-handedly brought 46.66 points to the team. The Steelers defense were so bad this past week, they actually netted a -1.00. Yes, there is a MINUS sign there.

So, How did the team do?

QB Michael Vick (Phi - QB) - 46.66
WR Mike Williams (TB - WR) - 3.40
WR Brandon Marshall (Mia - WR) - 1.70
RB Danny Woodhead (NE - WR,RB) - 1.65
RB LeGarrette Blount (TB - RB) - 10.55
TE Visanthe Shiancoe (Min - TE) - 1.45
W/R Santana Moss (Was - WR) - 1.40
K Matt Bryant (Atl - K) - 10.00
DEF Pittsburgh (Pit - DEF) - -1.00
Total - 75.81

The biggest mistake I made this week was benching Felix Jones. That was more than 12 points I would have had. Steve Smith also had the best WR score on my team, and he was sitting on the bench. As I mentioned, Vick's record-setting game helped save my team and bring the Turfdiggers a MUCH-desired win for the week.

With the win, the team sits in 6th place with a record of 4-6-0, just 50 points ahead of the Fighting Foxhounds.

Next week, the Turfdiggers face the first-place Red Grange Halls. Well, at least I managed to get a win in before that. I don't hold out much hope, but you never know!

Turfdiggers Tuesday - The Shake-up

After the literal flip of the coin for each player in the Turfdiggers roster, here is what happened:

Heads-Stays, Tails-Wails

Peyton Manning = TAILS = Michael Vick
Hines Ward = TAILS = Brandon Marshall
Steve Smith = HEADS
Rashard Mendenhall = TAILS = Danny Woodhead
Felix Jones = HEADS
Tony Gonzalez = TAILS = Visanthe Shiancoe
Darren McFadden = TAILS = Mike Williams
Santana Moss = HEADS
Chris Cooley = HEADS
Joseph Addai = HEADS
Kyle Orton = TAILS = Jay Cutler
Dexter McCluster = TAILS = LaGarrett Blount
Mason Crosby = HEADS
San Diego - Def = TAILS = Matt Bryant (K)

Yes, you read that correctly.  If the coin came up TAILS, the player was unceremoniously let go.  The replacement player was chosen based on % owned, injury report, and "gut feeling."  That's right, I played the draft card when the season started and for a while things looked pretty good.  Then the wheels fell off and it was time to do something.  Oh sure, I could have been more selective in my choices, but instead, I decided to let the "fantasy football fates fall" instead.

How will the shake-up affect things in the Super Secret League?  That's hard to say.  I imagine there will be a mad dash for the player list to snag up some of the guys I let go.  I mean, really, how does one NOT snag up Peyton Manning??

Now, I just wait and see how things go for the rest of the season with my newly assembled team - most players of whom I have never even heard.  Let the wild rumpus start!

Turfdiggers Tuesday - Oh, I'm Freeeee, Free Falling

I didn't even bother to post an update last week, that's how bad things are in the world of the Super Secret League.  The Turfdiggers are looking more like the Cowboys than the Steelers these days.  This week, we lost to the last-place team in the league. 

Like the Cowboys, the time has come for a Turfdiggers change.  I haven't made up my mind which players will find themselves on the chopping block, but no one on the team is safe.  Oh, I know, you're asking yourself which mathematical formulation contraption I'll be using to make the most well-informed selection for the team going forward, right?  Well, have no doubt!  I plan to use the most scientific formula ever used when deciding which direction to take.  Yeah, that's right. I'm flippin coins, people!

Sure, that might mean I drop Peyton (assuming I am allowed to - I can't remember which players I have that are on the 'cannot cut' list, if any).  No one on my team will be safe except for the Steelers defense.

The Turfdiggers are on a 6-game losing streak and stand with a record of 3-6-0, putting them in a 3-way tie for LAST PLACE.  In line with my recent Duke Nukem (computer game) obsession, it's like my team turned the jet pack off from the top of an open-area map.  SPLAT!

Once the new team is assembled, I'll update you with the roster.

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Tribecards Turfdiggers continue their free fall to the bottom, dropping TWO spots this week to 5th place in the Super Secret League.  There is no doubt that pulling Darren McFadden was a crucial error in judgment by the manager.  He scored more points by himself than SIX active players on the team. The future of the Turfdiggers management could be in jeopardy.

The big question for the Turfdiggers is whether or not their manager can find the rhythm to stop the free fall.  Based on previous fantasy league records, it does not look good. 

Next week's game pits the team against the Gold Sox who are in 7th place.  They've won their last two whereas the Turfdiggers are now coming off their 4th loss in a row.  Will momentum for both teams continue?  Will the momentum shift?  The Turfdiggers are hoping for the latter.

The league-leading Red Grange Halls and the Florida Vikings (with records of 5-2-0 each) are both on a two-loss streak.  The TN Roadkill, Seymour Bengals, and Gold Sox are all on multi-win ladders.  Looks like things are starting to shake up and shake out in the Super Secret League. 

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Tribecards Turfdiggers solidified their 3rd place standing with another loss this week.  That put the Turfdiggers at 3-3-0 and 3 straight losses.

I opted to put Chris Cooley in at TE instead of Tony Gonzalez and that single move not only cost me the match-up this week, but also cost me the high points earner spot.  I really can't complain too loudly since I am usually hovering somewhere near the bottom instead of the top.  At least Manning put on a good show for me this past week.

The Colts have a bye in the next week, so this will be my first foray into the world of Orton.  Let's hope things work out well for the Turfdiggers.  Of course, it also means Addai is going to sitting at home enjoying the weekend off.  I hope my alternates can pull up the slack in Week 7 against the Stumbling Blox.

The Stumbling Blox, TN Roadkill and Tribecards Turfdiggers all share third place with records of 3-3-0.  Perhaps "solidified" my place in third was a misnomer.  The Red Grange Halls and Florida Vikings share the lead with records of 5-1-0 each.

I'm not sure how things will pair up against the Blox, since they haven't disclosed their final starting players yet.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Turfdiggers Tuesday

For the second week in a row, the Tribecards Turfdiggers suffered a loss.  That is the polite way of saying, "The Turfdiggers scored the fewest number of points in the league this week."  The team was riddled with last-minute injury changes.  Darren McFadden and Steve Smith were essentially questionable up until game day.  Add to that the Steelers' bye week (the Turfdiggers have two of the 'burgh boys), and the picture starts to become clear.  Of course, those factors do not tell the whole story this week.  The final nail in the coffin comes in the way of Peyton Manning's mediocre (at best) performance.  I debated back and forth about keeping Manning in or swapping him out for my other QB, Kyle Orton.  In the end, Orton scored 18+ points while Manning fell short of 3 points.

Because of the bye week and McFadden's gameday removal from the lineup, I had ZERO points in the RB position.  That is never a good thing.  The other disappointment comes in the way of McCluster, who seems to have a great week followed by a collapse followed by a great week.  This was his off week, mustering up a measly 0.90 points.  Also because of the bye week, I used my alternate defense (San Diego) which was essentially a joke.

Meanwhile, the superstar team of the week were the Seymour Bengals, who racked up nearly 95 points this week!  Great job!  The Gold Sox, unfortunately, have yet to find a winning combination and remain at the bottom in the league at 0-5. 

The Turfdiggers fall to 3-2 with 354.53 points, putting them in 3rd place because of their win/loss record, but they remain in 2nd place in points (leading league 2nd place team Florida Vikings by just .92).  The Red Grange Halls continue their domination of the league with a record of 5-0 and 409.53 points.

What's ahead in Week 6?  The return of the Steelers along with Big Ben should help boost Hines Ward's stats.  The Turfdiggers face the East TN Roadkill and the match is projected to be a close one.  The big question is which QB to put in.  Do I keep Manning or do I switch to Orton?  I haven't made up my mind yet.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Tribecards Turfdiggers (much like the boys from the 'burgh) suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 3-1-0 after getting beaten by the other undefeated team, The Red Grange Halls.

The Turfdiggers scored 68.94 points this week.  The Halls scored 74.92.  The difference is just 5.98 points.  How big of a deal is that?  If the Turfdiggers had put in Cooley (Was - TE), they would currently hold the only undefeated seat in the league.  Cooley scored 7.85 points on Sunday.  Instead, the Turfdiggers held on to Hines Ward (Pit) (.70 points) and Santana Moss (Was) (.25 points).  The decision not to play Cooley was a tough one.  I figured Moss was going to be a no-brainer while Ward was a tougher decision.  I knew he would not get many touches since the Steelers were too busy running the ball (thus Mendenhall's great season thus far), but I figured he would get more since Big Ben would be heading up the next Steelers game.  It's a critical error that booted me out of the top spot.

Overall, the points separation is tight.  Only 11.11 points keep the Halls and Turfdiggers apart (well, and the fact that the Halls are undefeated).  When we look at the 3rd and 4th place battle, the Florida Vikings trail the East TN Roadkill by just 5.78 points.  The Vikings have a better record (coming UP to the same 3-1-0 record as the Turfdiggers), and thus hold the third place slot after Week Four.

I had planned to pick up Ben after the games on Sunday and forgot!  Instead, the Roadkill snagged him up.  Since I have Manning, I wasn't necessarily going to play Ben, butmainly keep anyone else from getting him. Ooops. Ah well.

Looking ahead, the Turfdiggers face the Vikings in Week 5.  Once again, we have a "one must fall" situation.  The Steelers have a BYE in Week 5, so this will be a nailbiter for the Turfdiggers.  According to the Yahoo! match-up, it is going to be a close game for the 'diggers and the Vikings.

Let's hope I can pull off a win!  Or did week four begin the annual descent into fantasy football oblivion?

Turfdiggers Tuesday

The Turfdiggers made a few last-minute changes to the roster this past week, and those changes proved beneficial and detrimental all at once.  Let's look at the changes and then see just how those changes impacted the team this week:



The Turfdiggers pulled McCluster (KC), Ward (Pit), and Gonzalez (Atl).  In their places, they hoped Moss (Was), Cooley (was) and McFadden (Oak) would make a strong showing.  While putting in McFadden worked, pulling the others cost the team points.

McCluster: 9.40 pts
Ward: 7.60 pts
Gonzalez: 11.50 pts

Moss: 10.20 pts
Cooley: 2.65 pts
McFadden: 12.10 pts

Well, okay, really, the major issue was between Cooley and Gonzalez.  Had I left Gonzalez in, I would still be in first place.  And there you have the beans spilled: I have fallen to second place.  Frankly, the fact I can even write that sentence still brings a smile to my face.  I am totally enjoying my current standings in the Super Secret League - just ask my wife! She's pretty tired of me talking about my team.

So, what happened?  Well, only two teams remain undefeated: The Turfdiggers and the Red Grange Halls.  This week, the tables were turned on points, and I fell behind.  The Turfdiggers are 5.13 points behind.  See?  Had I left Gonzalez in there, I would have rocked the league.  Bummer.  Well, as it stands, the Turfdiggers have 251.26 points so far. 

As fate would have it, the two undefeated teams will face each other in Week Four, meaning that SOMEONE will remain undefeated and someone else will face their first loss of the season.  I'm just sayin' I shall reign supreme!!  Yeah, probably not, but it was worth a shot.

As my "Smack Talk" says, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Turfdiggers Tuesday

Holy How Did I Do That, Batman! I am in *gasp* FIRST PLACE in the Super Secret League fantasy football game! Wahoo!  Now, if you want to know the stats, here is the one that matters: 2-0 with 162.66 points.  I am enjoying this now because the only way to go from here is down, down, down.  I am no fool.  I know my track record with fantasy football and I know the good times can't last forever.

The current 2nd place team is "The Red Grange Halls" with a 2-0 record and 162.59 points.  Yeah, read that again.  I am in the lead by 0.07 points.  Wait, that's 007... There *is* something to this Super Secret League stuff! Whoa...  The Florida Vikings are in 4th place because of their 1-1 record, but they actually lead the league in points (163.56).  As you can see, the top three point-earners are very close.  Now, had I played anyone BUT McCluster in Week Two, I would have scored many more points.

I jumped at the chance to snag McCluster after Week One's showing.  I got burned in Week Two.  He will be on the bench for Week Three and may find himself back in the land of free agency.  Another player who is on the brink is Hines Ward.  He is one of my favorite Steelers, but he is seriously lacking in the points department.

I did make a few drops/adds for the upcoming Week Three.  I dropped Stafford (QB - Det) and Bowe (WR - KC).  In their place, I picked up Darren McFadden (RB - Oak, ex-Hog!) and Kyle Orton (QB - Den).  I think McFadden is about to break out and I think anyone has to be better than having Stafford on the team.

As for the Week Two match-up, the Turfdiggers played the Fighting Foxhounds and romped them with a score of 82.05 to 57.71.  In the end, it was basically the Steelers defense (AGAIN) that pushed my team so far ahead. 

Week Three pits the first-place Turfdiggers against the last place Seymour Bengals.  On "paper," the Bengals look to eek out a win over my team.  I think a lot of that will do with Ward's role in next week's game.  If he is not used more, I may have to bid him adieu.  Let's hope not.

Turfdiggers Tuesdays (edited 09/16/2010)

I'm going to be running a regular column here during the football season discussing the exploits of the Tribecards Turfdiggers, a part of the Super Secret League fantasy league on Yahoo.

There are 8 teams in the league this year (as opposed to 10 last year).  The Turfdiggers did great in the first week, netting a total of 80.61 points, coming in second to the 81.44 scored by the Stumbling Blox.  I'd have to look and verify this, but I believe debuting at No. 2 is the highest I have ever been.  Actually, the fact that I am even *in* the #2 spot is the highest I've ever been.

Peyton Manning and Rashard Mendenhall had the highest marks this past week with 26.66 and 12.75, respectively.  The next highest was Mason Crosby (Kicker, Green Bay) with 12.00 followed by Steve Smith (Carolina) and the Pittsburgh Steelers Defense!

I had the wrong Tight End in place, using Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez instead of Washington's Chris Cooley.  Who knew Washington was going to kick butt?  Okay, most people. I am not most people, I guess.

I did make one roster change for the upcoming week.  While everyone else was sleeping, I snagged Dexter McCluster.  He had a seriously jamming game on Monday night, and I'm hoping to cash in on momentum.  In my case, though, it usually means he'll get a season-ending injury. Let's hope not.

*Thanks to Mark who pointed out that there are 8 teams this year (and were 10 last year).  Evidently, my reading and/or math skills aren't what they used to be!