Thursday Night Football kicks off tonight with a divisional matchup between the Chargers and the Raiders.
Thursday Night Game Prediction:
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Diego Chargers by 6. The Chargers continue to roll on offense and take control of the AFC West.
Scottie V's Pick: San Diego Chargers by 6. If San Diego can't reach out and grab the AFC West now, they never will.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Diego Chargers by 7. Chargers by 7, Over/Under 47.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3. Both team at 4-4, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3.
Check back tomorrow for the remainder of the picks for week 10.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings - Week 9 (2011)
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings are based on a complicated formula that takes into account, among other things, a team's projected ability to score an Offensive Fumble Recovery TD. All power rankings guaranteed to be less accurate than real NFL team abilities on any given Sunday and are subject to change on a weekly basis.
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 32)
The bye week can’t come soon enough for Indianapolis.
# 31 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 30)
Giving up a 99-yard punt return touchdown is a devastating way to lose in overtime. But scoring 4 points in the third quarter on the strength of two safeties was pretty cool. The Rams have that going for them… if nothing else.
# 30 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 31)
The win over Kansas City probably allowed Coach Sparano to keep his job through the end of the year. A few more will be needed if he hopes to be around in 2012.
# 29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 29)
The Jaguars have little hope of being anything more than spoilers the second half of the season.
# 28 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 26)
Meh.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 25)
The Vikings have one last shot at the Packers and the NFL has given them a bye week and one extra day to prepare. They will have no excuses when they get blown out this weekend at Lambeau.
# 26 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 23)
The Browns continue to be one of the biggest disappointments of the 2011 season.
# 25 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 27)
How careless do you have to be to give up two safeties in a single quarter? Teams can go years without giving up two safeties…
# 24 - Denver Broncos (previous: 28)
Don’t look now, but Tim Tebow has the Broncos just one game out of the division lead with 8 games left to play.
# 23 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 20)
I just don’t know what to make of the Chiefs. They are like a poor man's underachieving Chargers.
# 22 - Washington Redskins (previous: 22)
3-13 is still a distinct possibility.
# 21 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 24)
A bye week should have given them time to figure how exactly they can turn their stats into victories.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 21)
The Buccaneers have almost slipped completely out of the playoffs and now need to recover quickly if they hope to finish better than 8-8.
# 19 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 18)
How long before the Palmer reclamation project turns the fans completely off?
# 18 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 17)
Rivers has become a turnover machine. Lucky for the Chargers no other team in the AFC West seems capable of winning, either.
# 17 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 16)
The Titans are fading, much like the memory of Chris Johnson's 2,000 yards in a single season.
# 16 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 14)
The Eagles may be fine in the division, but they better turn it around quick and win the NFC East outright. Tiebreakers will kill them if they have to go the Wild Card route.
# 15 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 19)
The Cowboys are beating the teams they should beat and losing to the teams they should lose to. An 8-8 finish seems about right, unfortunately.
# 14 - New York Giants (previous: 13)
The Giants have collapsed before, but after that gritty win in New England, even they will be hard pressed to let the division slip away from them this season.
# 13 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 15)
Playing the Colts is like getting an extra bye week. The Falcons made the most of their superior skills and are now back squarely in the playoff race.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Chicago Bears (previous: 11)
The Bears could be surprisingly good, but they better figure out a way to keep Forte happy without breaking their bank.
# 11 - New York Jets (previous: 12)
A big win over the Bills gives the loud-mouthed Jets some nice momentum as they ready themselves for a classic tilt against the struggling New England Patriots.
# 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 10)
Seriously? I always wondered what it would look like when a Steel Curtain shattered.
# 9 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 5)
A bad division loss to the Jets could be the beginning of the end for Buffalo.
# 8 - New England Patriots (previous: 6)
Seriously? What happened to the defensive genius that is Bill Belichick?
# 7 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 8)
The Saints evened their score with the Bucs and now only really have the Falcons to contend with for the division title.
# 6 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 9)
They just keep winning. Will midnight ever strike for this young Cinderella?
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Houston Texans (previous: 7)
No Andre Johnson? No problem when you have two running backs on pace for 1,000 yards.
# 4 - Detroit Lions (previous: 4)
The Turkey Day battle with Green Bay looms on the calendar, but the Lions cannot afford to overlook the Bears after what Chicago did in Philadelphia last Monday.
# 3 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 3)
That huge victory over the Steelers in Pittsburgh should propel Baltimore into the playoffs… if they can just hold off the surprising Bengals.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 2)
Undefeated on the East Coast, the 49ers are rising above the muck that is the NFC West.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Short yardage downs and a defense willing to bend, but not necessarily break, between the 20s may be the only things that will prevent Green Bay from finishing the season undefeated.
Week 9 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Buffalo Bills (-4), Kansas City Chiefs (-3), Cleveland Browns (-3), New England Patriots (-2), Philadelphia Eagles (-2)
The Biggest Movers - Dallas Cowboys (+4), Denver Broncos (+4), Cincinnati Bengals (+3), Carolina Panthers (+3), Houston Texans (+2)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), San Francisco 49ers (2), Baltimore Ravens (3), Detroit Lions (4), Pittsburgh Steelers (10), Washington Redskins (22), Jacksonville Jaguars (29), Indianapolis Colts (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 9
Green Bay Packers
Thursday Night Football returns tonight! Check back later for predictions regarding tonight's game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers...
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 32)
The bye week can’t come soon enough for Indianapolis.
# 31 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 30)
Giving up a 99-yard punt return touchdown is a devastating way to lose in overtime. But scoring 4 points in the third quarter on the strength of two safeties was pretty cool. The Rams have that going for them… if nothing else.
# 30 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 31)
The win over Kansas City probably allowed Coach Sparano to keep his job through the end of the year. A few more will be needed if he hopes to be around in 2012.
# 29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 29)
The Jaguars have little hope of being anything more than spoilers the second half of the season.
# 28 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 26)
Meh.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 25)
The Vikings have one last shot at the Packers and the NFL has given them a bye week and one extra day to prepare. They will have no excuses when they get blown out this weekend at Lambeau.
# 26 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 23)
The Browns continue to be one of the biggest disappointments of the 2011 season.
# 25 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 27)
How careless do you have to be to give up two safeties in a single quarter? Teams can go years without giving up two safeties…
# 24 - Denver Broncos (previous: 28)
Don’t look now, but Tim Tebow has the Broncos just one game out of the division lead with 8 games left to play.
# 23 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 20)
I just don’t know what to make of the Chiefs. They are like a poor man's underachieving Chargers.
# 22 - Washington Redskins (previous: 22)
3-13 is still a distinct possibility.
# 21 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 24)
A bye week should have given them time to figure how exactly they can turn their stats into victories.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 21)
The Buccaneers have almost slipped completely out of the playoffs and now need to recover quickly if they hope to finish better than 8-8.
# 19 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 18)
How long before the Palmer reclamation project turns the fans completely off?
# 18 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 17)
Rivers has become a turnover machine. Lucky for the Chargers no other team in the AFC West seems capable of winning, either.
# 17 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 16)
The Titans are fading, much like the memory of Chris Johnson's 2,000 yards in a single season.
# 16 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 14)
The Eagles may be fine in the division, but they better turn it around quick and win the NFC East outright. Tiebreakers will kill them if they have to go the Wild Card route.
# 15 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 19)
The Cowboys are beating the teams they should beat and losing to the teams they should lose to. An 8-8 finish seems about right, unfortunately.
# 14 - New York Giants (previous: 13)
The Giants have collapsed before, but after that gritty win in New England, even they will be hard pressed to let the division slip away from them this season.
# 13 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 15)
Playing the Colts is like getting an extra bye week. The Falcons made the most of their superior skills and are now back squarely in the playoff race.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Chicago Bears (previous: 11)
The Bears could be surprisingly good, but they better figure out a way to keep Forte happy without breaking their bank.
# 11 - New York Jets (previous: 12)
A big win over the Bills gives the loud-mouthed Jets some nice momentum as they ready themselves for a classic tilt against the struggling New England Patriots.
# 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 10)
Seriously? I always wondered what it would look like when a Steel Curtain shattered.
# 9 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 5)
A bad division loss to the Jets could be the beginning of the end for Buffalo.
# 8 - New England Patriots (previous: 6)
Seriously? What happened to the defensive genius that is Bill Belichick?
# 7 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 8)
The Saints evened their score with the Bucs and now only really have the Falcons to contend with for the division title.
# 6 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 9)
They just keep winning. Will midnight ever strike for this young Cinderella?
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Houston Texans (previous: 7)
No Andre Johnson? No problem when you have two running backs on pace for 1,000 yards.
# 4 - Detroit Lions (previous: 4)
The Turkey Day battle with Green Bay looms on the calendar, but the Lions cannot afford to overlook the Bears after what Chicago did in Philadelphia last Monday.
# 3 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 3)
That huge victory over the Steelers in Pittsburgh should propel Baltimore into the playoffs… if they can just hold off the surprising Bengals.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 2)
Undefeated on the East Coast, the 49ers are rising above the muck that is the NFC West.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Short yardage downs and a defense willing to bend, but not necessarily break, between the 20s may be the only things that will prevent Green Bay from finishing the season undefeated.
Week 9 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Buffalo Bills (-4), Kansas City Chiefs (-3), Cleveland Browns (-3), New England Patriots (-2), Philadelphia Eagles (-2)
The Biggest Movers - Dallas Cowboys (+4), Denver Broncos (+4), Cincinnati Bengals (+3), Carolina Panthers (+3), Houston Texans (+2)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), San Francisco 49ers (2), Baltimore Ravens (3), Detroit Lions (4), Pittsburgh Steelers (10), Washington Redskins (22), Jacksonville Jaguars (29), Indianapolis Colts (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 9
Thursday Night Football returns tonight! Check back later for predictions regarding tonight's game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Week 9 Results (2011) ~ "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..."
The playoff picture is far from settled after nine weeks of fantasy football action. With only three weeks remaining in the fantasy regular season, every game takes on added significance for each team.
In week 9, only the San Diego Chargers managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the San Diego Chargers, who scored 105 points in their dramatic game against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers may be undefeated in real life, but they have now stumbled twice on the fantasy scoreboard and are in a dogfight with Detroit for the NFC North division title.
Low score falls to the Indianpolis Colts at 22 points, who were unable to score enough fantasy points to beat the real 31 points the Atlanta Falcons scored against them.
Closest Game of the Week: Baltimore Ravens 76, Pittsburgh Steelers 70. The Ravens and Steelers - one of the best rivalries in the NFL these days - not only ended up being one of the most exciting games this weekend, also ended up being the closest game of the week from a fantasy perspective with the final touchdown pass from Flacco to Smith proving to be the difference. But despite their best efforts, both Baltimore and Pittsburgh trail the upstart Cincinnati Bengals in the standings. Quite surprisingly, it is the Bengals who own the best fantasy record in the NFL.
Fantasy Star of the Week: Vincent Jackson, 32 points. The San Diego wide receiver came back to fantasy life this weekend. His three touchdowns and 140+ yards propelled the Chargers to a much-needed victory over the fantasy juggernaut Green Bay Packers.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 3 weeks remaining in the Creative Misfortune fantasy regular season, no teams have clinched a fantasy playoff spot yet (weeks 13-16).
However, the following teams have been eliminated from post-season play (weeks 13-16):
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Denver Broncos
Cleveland Browns
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Week 9 Game Results:
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Score: Dallas Cowboys 95, Seattle Seahawks 47
Seattle's Key Performers: Marshawn Lynch (19), Steven Hauschka (7), Sidney Rice (6)
Dallas' Key Performers: Tony Romo (20), DeMarco Murray (17), Jason Witten (13)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Fantasy Score: New Orleans Saints 69, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 57
Tampa Bay's Key Performers: Josh Freeman (15), Connor Barth (12), Kellen Winslow (8)
New Orleans' Key Performers: Drew Brees (18), Pierre Thomas (14), John Kasay (8)
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins
Fantasy Score: San Francisco 49ers 62, Washington Redskins 53
San Francisco's Key Performers: David Akers (16), Alex Smith (12), Defense (11)
Washington's Key Performers: John Beck (14), Roy Helu (12), Jabar Gaffney (10)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 76, Cleveland Browns 33
Cleveland's Key Performers: Josh Cribbs (11), Phil Dawson (10), Colt McCoy (7)
Houston's Key Performers: Arian Foster (20), Ben Tate (17), Neil Rackers (14)
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Fantasy Score: New York Jets 62, Buffalo Bills 45
New York's Key Performers: Nick Folk (11), Defense (10), Mark Sanchez (9)
Buffalo's Key Performers: Ryan Fitzpatrick (9), Fred Jackson (9), David Nelson (9)
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy Score: Miami Dolphins 93, Kansas City Chiefs 40
Miami's Key Performers: Matt Moore (21), Reggie Bush (20), Brandon Marshall (16)
Kansas City's Key Performers: Matt Cassel (13), Steve Breaston (11), Dwayne Bowe (8)
New York Giants at New England Patriots
Fantasy Score: New York Giants 82, New England Patriots 69
New York's Key Performers: Eli Manning (17), Brandon Jacobs (15), Jake Ballard (12)
New England's Key Performers: Rob Gronkowski (16), Tom Brady (15), Wes Welker (14)
Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers
Fantasy Score: San Diego Chargers 105, Green Bay Packers 97
Green Bay's Key Performers: Aaron Rodgers (30), Jordy Nelson (16), Defense (13)
San Diego's Key Performers: Vincent Jackson (32), Philip Rivers (25), Mike Tolbert (19)
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Score: Arizona Cardinals 67, St. Louis Rams 58
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (14), Josh Brown (10), Brandon Lloyd (8)
Arizona's Key Performers: Defense (18), John Skelton (15), Larry Fitzgerald (10)
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Cincinnati Bengals 70, Tennessee Titans 61
Cincinnati's Key Performers: Andy Dalton (20), Jerome Simpson (10), Andre Caldwell (8)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Matt Hasselbeck (18), Lavelle Hawkins (12), Chris Johnson (10)
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy Score: Baltimore Ravens 76, Pittsburgh Steelers 70
Baltimore's Key Performers: Ray Rice (14), Joe Flacco (14), Billy Cundiff (13)
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (16), Rashard Mendenhall (11), Mike Wallace (10)
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy Score: Atlanta Falcons 100, Indianapolis Colts 22
Atlanta's Key Performers: Julio Jones (28), Matt Ryan (21), Michael Turner (13)
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Donald Brown (7), Defense (5), Reggie Wayne (3)
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Fantasy Score: Denver Broncos 100, Oakland Raiders 72
Denver's Key Performers: Willis Mcgahee (28), Tim Tebow (23), Eddie Royal (14)
Oakland's Key Performers: Carson Palmer (19), Michael Bush (18), Jacoby Ford (16)
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Fantasy Score: Chicago Bears 80, Philadelphia Eagles 59
Chicago's Key Performers: Jay Cutler (16), Earl Bennett (15), Robbie Gould (14)
Philadelphia's Key Performers: LeSean McCoy (17), Michael Vick (9), Alex Henery (7)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, plus Thursday Night Football picks. What's with the Thursday Night games starting before Thanksgiving anyway?
In week 9, only the San Diego Chargers managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the San Diego Chargers, who scored 105 points in their dramatic game against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers may be undefeated in real life, but they have now stumbled twice on the fantasy scoreboard and are in a dogfight with Detroit for the NFC North division title.
Low score falls to the Indianpolis Colts at 22 points, who were unable to score enough fantasy points to beat the real 31 points the Atlanta Falcons scored against them.
Closest Game of the Week: Baltimore Ravens 76, Pittsburgh Steelers 70. The Ravens and Steelers - one of the best rivalries in the NFL these days - not only ended up being one of the most exciting games this weekend, also ended up being the closest game of the week from a fantasy perspective with the final touchdown pass from Flacco to Smith proving to be the difference. But despite their best efforts, both Baltimore and Pittsburgh trail the upstart Cincinnati Bengals in the standings. Quite surprisingly, it is the Bengals who own the best fantasy record in the NFL.
Fantasy Star of the Week: Vincent Jackson, 32 points. The San Diego wide receiver came back to fantasy life this weekend. His three touchdowns and 140+ yards propelled the Chargers to a much-needed victory over the fantasy juggernaut Green Bay Packers.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 3 weeks remaining in the Creative Misfortune fantasy regular season, no teams have clinched a fantasy playoff spot yet (weeks 13-16).
However, the following teams have been eliminated from post-season play (weeks 13-16):
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Denver Broncos
Cleveland Browns
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Week 9 Game Results:
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Score: Dallas Cowboys 95, Seattle Seahawks 47
Seattle's Key Performers: Marshawn Lynch (19), Steven Hauschka (7), Sidney Rice (6)
Dallas' Key Performers: Tony Romo (20), DeMarco Murray (17), Jason Witten (13)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Fantasy Score: New Orleans Saints 69, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 57
Tampa Bay's Key Performers: Josh Freeman (15), Connor Barth (12), Kellen Winslow (8)
New Orleans' Key Performers: Drew Brees (18), Pierre Thomas (14), John Kasay (8)
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins
Fantasy Score: San Francisco 49ers 62, Washington Redskins 53
San Francisco's Key Performers: David Akers (16), Alex Smith (12), Defense (11)
Washington's Key Performers: John Beck (14), Roy Helu (12), Jabar Gaffney (10)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 76, Cleveland Browns 33
Cleveland's Key Performers: Josh Cribbs (11), Phil Dawson (10), Colt McCoy (7)
Houston's Key Performers: Arian Foster (20), Ben Tate (17), Neil Rackers (14)
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Fantasy Score: New York Jets 62, Buffalo Bills 45
New York's Key Performers: Nick Folk (11), Defense (10), Mark Sanchez (9)
Buffalo's Key Performers: Ryan Fitzpatrick (9), Fred Jackson (9), David Nelson (9)
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy Score: Miami Dolphins 93, Kansas City Chiefs 40
Miami's Key Performers: Matt Moore (21), Reggie Bush (20), Brandon Marshall (16)
Kansas City's Key Performers: Matt Cassel (13), Steve Breaston (11), Dwayne Bowe (8)
New York Giants at New England Patriots
Fantasy Score: New York Giants 82, New England Patriots 69
New York's Key Performers: Eli Manning (17), Brandon Jacobs (15), Jake Ballard (12)
New England's Key Performers: Rob Gronkowski (16), Tom Brady (15), Wes Welker (14)
Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers
Fantasy Score: San Diego Chargers 105, Green Bay Packers 97
Green Bay's Key Performers: Aaron Rodgers (30), Jordy Nelson (16), Defense (13)
San Diego's Key Performers: Vincent Jackson (32), Philip Rivers (25), Mike Tolbert (19)
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Score: Arizona Cardinals 67, St. Louis Rams 58
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (14), Josh Brown (10), Brandon Lloyd (8)
Arizona's Key Performers: Defense (18), John Skelton (15), Larry Fitzgerald (10)
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Cincinnati Bengals 70, Tennessee Titans 61
Cincinnati's Key Performers: Andy Dalton (20), Jerome Simpson (10), Andre Caldwell (8)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Matt Hasselbeck (18), Lavelle Hawkins (12), Chris Johnson (10)
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy Score: Baltimore Ravens 76, Pittsburgh Steelers 70
Baltimore's Key Performers: Ray Rice (14), Joe Flacco (14), Billy Cundiff (13)
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (16), Rashard Mendenhall (11), Mike Wallace (10)
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy Score: Atlanta Falcons 100, Indianapolis Colts 22
Atlanta's Key Performers: Julio Jones (28), Matt Ryan (21), Michael Turner (13)
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Donald Brown (7), Defense (5), Reggie Wayne (3)
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Fantasy Score: Denver Broncos 100, Oakland Raiders 72
Denver's Key Performers: Willis Mcgahee (28), Tim Tebow (23), Eddie Royal (14)
Oakland's Key Performers: Carson Palmer (19), Michael Bush (18), Jacoby Ford (16)
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Fantasy Score: Chicago Bears 80, Philadelphia Eagles 59
Chicago's Key Performers: Jay Cutler (16), Earl Bennett (15), Robbie Gould (14)
Philadelphia's Key Performers: LeSean McCoy (17), Michael Vick (9), Alex Henery (7)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, plus Thursday Night Football picks. What's with the Thursday Night games starting before Thanksgiving anyway?
Monday, November 7, 2011
Predictions of Creative Misfortune - MNF - Week 9 (2011)
Only 4 out of 13 teams won at home over the weekend. It's not often the NFL home teams lose 70% of the games scheduled on a regular season weekend. We'll see if Philadelphia can buck that trend later tonight when they take on the well-rested Chicago Bears.
Monday Night Game Prediction:
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 4. The Eagles have finally figured it out, unfortunately.
Scottie V's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 8. The Eagles are "soaring" (get it?) after their big victory last weekend and will keep the momentum rolling.
Vegas Lines Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 8. Eagles by 8, Over/Under 47.
Best Record Wins Pick: Chicago Bears by 3. Bears better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3.
Week 9 "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..." results will be posted on Wednesday.
Monday Night Game Prediction:
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 4. The Eagles have finally figured it out, unfortunately.
Scottie V's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 8. The Eagles are "soaring" (get it?) after their big victory last weekend and will keep the momentum rolling.
Vegas Lines Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 8. Eagles by 8, Over/Under 47.
Best Record Wins Pick: Chicago Bears by 3. Bears better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3.
Week 9 "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..." results will be posted on Wednesday.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Predictions of Creative Misfortune - Week 9 (2011)
Week 9 is upon us and the bye weeks are coming to an end. 14 games fill out the slate this week, with only four teams off relaxing. See below how the pick systems think each game will shake out.
Sunday Game Predictions:
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. The Bills make the most of their chance to move ahead in the division.
Scottie V's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Not sure why, but I'm buying the Bills more than the Jets at this point.
Vegas Lines Pick: Buffalo Bills by 2. Bills by 1.5, Over/Under 44.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Billes better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3.
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 7. Dallas should be able to recover from their beat down in Philly last week with a nice win over the Seahawks.
Scottie V's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 13. The 'Boys shake off an embarassing loss last weekend.
Vegas Lines Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 12. Cowboys 11.5, Over/Under 44.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3. Cowboys better at 3-4.
Home Team Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3.
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Houston Texans by 11. Unless the Browns are able to make this an ugly game, the Texans should run away with this one.
Scottie V's Pick: Houston Texans by 8. Not overly hyped about this game, but the Texans will take it at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Houston Texans by 11. Texans by 10.5, Over/Under 41.
Best Record Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3. Texans better at 5-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3.
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 15. There is no reason to think that this is the week the Colts will get into the win column.
Scottie V's Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 8. Peyton Manning's pre-game speech fires the Colts up enough to hang close in the first half until they finally embrace their goal of landing Luck.
Vegas Lines Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 7. Falcons by 7, Over/Under 44.
Best Record Wins Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 3. Falcons better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Indianapolis Colts by 3.
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. Neither Kansas City's winning streak or Miami's losing streak will be broken by this matchup.
Scottie V's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 4. Surely the Chiefs wouldn't blow the mojo they've built up these last few weeks… Right?
Vegas Lines Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 4. Chiefs by 4, Over/Under 40.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. Chiefs better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 7. The Saints will re-establish their hold of the division and make up for their previous loss to the Bucs.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 4. Though the Saints have me concerned after last weekend, I still think they are the better team.
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans Saints by 9. Saints by 8.5, Over/Under 50.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3. Saints better at 5-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3.
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 13. The 49ers look really good and the Redskins don’t.
Scottie V's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 6. I'm tempted to say that the 'Skins will be the team to cool off the red-hot Niners, but then again they are the Redskins.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 4. 49ers by 3.5, Over/under 37.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3. 49ers better at 6-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: Washington Redskins by 3.
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Oakland Raiders by 8. The Raiders have had an extra week to get their offense settled and Denver is still trying to figure out what happened against Detroit.
Scottie V's Pick: Oakland Raiders by 6. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Tebow quiet the Oakland crazies, but he has been awful and doesn't have much help from his teammates.
Vegas Lines Pick: Oakland Raiders by 8. Raiders by 8, Over/under 42.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Oakland Raiders by 3. Raiders better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Oakland Raiders by 3.
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 6. The Bengals haven’t figured out that they are supposed to lose yet.
Scottie V's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 6. The surprising Bengals keep pace in the AFC North by knocking off the Titans.
Vegas Lines Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3. Titans by 3, Over/under 42.
Best Record Wins Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3.
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Creative Misfortune's Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3. St. Louis is on a high and the Cardinals are feeling lower than usual after last week's blown game against the Ravens.
Scottie V's Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3. A week ago I would have picked the home team to win this one, but the Rams impressed last weekend.
Vegas Lines Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 2. Cardinals by 2, Over/Under 41.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 3. Both teams at 1-6, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 3.
New York Giants at New England Patriots
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots by 5. The Patriots win at home in a shoot-out.
Scottie V's Pick: New England Patriots by 7. After a disappointing loss last weekend, Brady and Co. get back on the horse.
Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots by 9. Patriots by 9, Over/Under 50.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Both teams at 5-2, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3.
Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Green Bay Packers by 11. Even if San Diego stays competitive, they cannot play perfect enough to defeat the Packers.
Scottie V's Pick: Green Bay Packers by 14. Though San Diego must feel like a foreign country to the Packers, they are the team to beat in the NFL right now.
Vegas Lines Pick: Green Bay Packers by 6. Packers by 5.5, Over/Under 50.5
Best Record Wins Pick: Green Bay Packers by 3. Packers better at 7-0.
Home Team Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 2. In a physical game that should end with an unusual score, Steelers get the nod at home. I told somebody just the other day that they should take the Steelers by 4... but I am picking them to win by an even slimmer margin.
Scottie V's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 4. "Steelers by 4" just sounds about right in this fierce rivalry.
Vegas Lines Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3. Steelers by 3, Over/Under 42.
Best Record Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3. Steelers better at 6-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3.
Check back next week for Monday Night's prediction.
Sunday Game Predictions:
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. The Bills make the most of their chance to move ahead in the division.
Scottie V's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Not sure why, but I'm buying the Bills more than the Jets at this point.
Vegas Lines Pick: Buffalo Bills by 2. Bills by 1.5, Over/Under 44.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Billes better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3.
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 7. Dallas should be able to recover from their beat down in Philly last week with a nice win over the Seahawks.
Scottie V's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 13. The 'Boys shake off an embarassing loss last weekend.
Vegas Lines Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 12. Cowboys 11.5, Over/Under 44.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3. Cowboys better at 3-4.
Home Team Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3.
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Houston Texans by 11. Unless the Browns are able to make this an ugly game, the Texans should run away with this one.
Scottie V's Pick: Houston Texans by 8. Not overly hyped about this game, but the Texans will take it at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Houston Texans by 11. Texans by 10.5, Over/Under 41.
Best Record Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3. Texans better at 5-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3.
Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 15. There is no reason to think that this is the week the Colts will get into the win column.
Scottie V's Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 8. Peyton Manning's pre-game speech fires the Colts up enough to hang close in the first half until they finally embrace their goal of landing Luck.
Vegas Lines Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 7. Falcons by 7, Over/Under 44.
Best Record Wins Pick: Atlanta Falcons by 3. Falcons better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Indianapolis Colts by 3.
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. Neither Kansas City's winning streak or Miami's losing streak will be broken by this matchup.
Scottie V's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 4. Surely the Chiefs wouldn't blow the mojo they've built up these last few weeks… Right?
Vegas Lines Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 4. Chiefs by 4, Over/Under 40.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. Chiefs better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 7. The Saints will re-establish their hold of the division and make up for their previous loss to the Bucs.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 4. Though the Saints have me concerned after last weekend, I still think they are the better team.
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans Saints by 9. Saints by 8.5, Over/Under 50.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3. Saints better at 5-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3.
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 13. The 49ers look really good and the Redskins don’t.
Scottie V's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 6. I'm tempted to say that the 'Skins will be the team to cool off the red-hot Niners, but then again they are the Redskins.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 4. 49ers by 3.5, Over/under 37.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3. 49ers better at 6-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: Washington Redskins by 3.
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Oakland Raiders by 8. The Raiders have had an extra week to get their offense settled and Denver is still trying to figure out what happened against Detroit.
Scottie V's Pick: Oakland Raiders by 6. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Tebow quiet the Oakland crazies, but he has been awful and doesn't have much help from his teammates.
Vegas Lines Pick: Oakland Raiders by 8. Raiders by 8, Over/under 42.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Oakland Raiders by 3. Raiders better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Oakland Raiders by 3.
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 6. The Bengals haven’t figured out that they are supposed to lose yet.
Scottie V's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 6. The surprising Bengals keep pace in the AFC North by knocking off the Titans.
Vegas Lines Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3. Titans by 3, Over/under 42.
Best Record Wins Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3.
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Creative Misfortune's Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3. St. Louis is on a high and the Cardinals are feeling lower than usual after last week's blown game against the Ravens.
Scottie V's Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3. A week ago I would have picked the home team to win this one, but the Rams impressed last weekend.
Vegas Lines Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 2. Cardinals by 2, Over/Under 41.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 3. Both teams at 1-6, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Arizona Cardinals by 3.
New York Giants at New England Patriots
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots by 5. The Patriots win at home in a shoot-out.
Scottie V's Pick: New England Patriots by 7. After a disappointing loss last weekend, Brady and Co. get back on the horse.
Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots by 9. Patriots by 9, Over/Under 50.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Both teams at 5-2, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3.
Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Green Bay Packers by 11. Even if San Diego stays competitive, they cannot play perfect enough to defeat the Packers.
Scottie V's Pick: Green Bay Packers by 14. Though San Diego must feel like a foreign country to the Packers, they are the team to beat in the NFL right now.
Vegas Lines Pick: Green Bay Packers by 6. Packers by 5.5, Over/Under 50.5
Best Record Wins Pick: Green Bay Packers by 3. Packers better at 7-0.
Home Team Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 2. In a physical game that should end with an unusual score, Steelers get the nod at home. I told somebody just the other day that they should take the Steelers by 4... but I am picking them to win by an even slimmer margin.
Scottie V's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 4. "Steelers by 4" just sounds about right in this fierce rivalry.
Vegas Lines Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3. Steelers by 3, Over/Under 42.
Best Record Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3. Steelers better at 6-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3.
Check back next week for Monday Night's prediction.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings - Week 8 (2011)
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings are based on a complicated formula that takes into account, among other things, a team's projected ability to score an Offensive Fumble Recovery TD. All power rankings guaranteed to be less accurate than real NFL team abilities on any given Sunday and are subject to change on a weekly basis.
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 31)
Even without Manning at the helm, the Indianapolis Colts shouldn’t be this bad. Could 0-16 really be a possibility? If they get to 0-14, I hope Coach Caldwell benches his starting players to make 0-16 a reality. If it was good enough for 14-0, it's good enough for 0-14.
# 31 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 30)
Make up your mind, Reggie Bush. Do the Dolphins stink or are you guys just having too much fun wallowing in your own winless filth?
# 30 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 32)
Unfortunately for the Rams, and the people of St. Louis, the Cardinals can’t celebrate a World Series championship at the Edward Jones Dome every Sunday.
# 29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 28)
We'll see just how much the Jaguars have left in them this season when they come back from their bye week and face off against the winless Colts. I sure hope a riveting game like that will be shown on TV somewhere.
# 28 - Denver Broncos (previous: 26)
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that last game against the Lions probably wasn't the finest moment in Tim Tebow's career. Unfortunately, it may be a defining moment of his career and that definition was sh… not good. Note: you can’t curse in a post about Tim Tebow! You just can’t. It wouldn’t be proper.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 27)
Fitzgerald will be hard-pressed to make his run to the Hall of Fame if the Cardinals can’t get him a decent quarterback in the next few years.
# 26 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 24)
Aside from the two games against the Falcons and Giants, Seattle hasn't scored more than 17 points. Seven wins this season seems a stretch with such woeful offensive performance.
# 25 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 29)
The Vikings dodged a bullet on Sunday, but at least they have hope for the future with Ponder looking confident at quarterback.
# 24 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 25)
All the stats don't mean anything if you can't be ahead on the scoreboard when it matters most. The Panthers have another week to stew before they can try and get back into the win column.
# 23 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 21)
Cleveland's disappointing start this season is made even more profound by Cincinnati's great start. Who would have thought before the season the Browns, not the Bengals, would be the team left out of the AFC North mix?
# 22 - Washington Redskins (previous: 18)
The Redskins are primed to finish the season on a 13-game losing streak. I hope to see that happen.
# 21 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 22)
Backfield injuries may short-circuit Tampa Bay's attempt to challenge New Orleans and Atlanta.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 23)
From three straight losses to four straight wins and a tie for the divisional lead. The Chiefs may not have all the pieces in place to continue this run, but they certainly have the potential to keep surprising people.
# 19 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 15)
Seriously, Dallas? THAT was your effort against the Eagles on Sunday?
# 18 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 17)
Nothing like moving into a tie for first place while sitting idle at home. We'll know soon enough if the bye week helped Carson Palmer adapt to the new offense.
# 17 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 13)
The last thing Philip Rivers needed was to choke away the snap in the final seconds of that game on Monday night. Until the Chargers win a playoff game and advance deep into the postseason they will always be the team best identified with underachievement.
# 16 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 19)
Chris Johnson continues to disappoint. Maybe coaches should bench him for a week and turn Javon Ringer loose. That might wake CJ2K up from his contract hangover.
# 15 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 16)
The Dirty Birds are flying again and the collapse of the Saints in St. Louis over the weekend has given them some hope.
# 14 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 20)
As much as I hate to say it, the Eagles may have turned a huge corner with their win over Dallas and could run the table to finish 12-4 if Vick can minimize his turnovers and maximize the big plays this offense is capable of.
# 13 - New York Giants (previous: 14)
Warning: The high-flying Eagles are closer than they appear.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - New York Jets (previous: 11)
The fate of the Jets will be decided in the next two weeks as they come out of the bye week with games scheduled against Buffalo and New England. That should give them something to talk about.
# 11 - Chicago Bears (previous: 12)
The Bears will most likely be the odd team out of the NFC North's three-team race, but they still have potential to slip into the playoffs as the final wild card.
# 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 8)
The Steelers have improved much of late. A victory over the Ravens will prove they are finally back for real and slingshot them into the elite among the AFC.
# 9 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 10)
Surprise, surprise. The Bengals are not only relevant halfway through the season, they are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
# 8 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 4)
Even good teams have off days. I'll give the Saints a pass on their loss in St. Louis last week… if they are able to beat the Buccaneers this weekend.
# 7 - Houston Texans (previous: 6)
The Texans are finally playing like they want to win the division. If Andre Johnson can ever get back on the field, this offense will be even scarier.
# 6 - New England Patriots (previous: 3)
If New England can't figure out how to beat press coverage and aggressive bump-and-run tactics, the brilliant start to their season will become just a distant memory.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 9)
The Bills keep forgetting that they are, well… the Bills. A win this week over the Jets will further legitimize their rise back to the ranks of the AFC elite.
# 4 - Detroit Lions (previous: 7)
The roar is back on track! The Thanksgiving date with the Packers will keep people glued to their TVs instead of running for turkey when Detroit plays. Quite a change from the last 50 years.
# 3 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 5)
The Ravens shouldn’t have needed such a dramatic comeback to beat the Cardinals… but great teams overcome adversity like that.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 2)
The 49ers are playing well and would be undefeated but for their early season mental lapse against the Cowboys.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Until they lose, the Packers have to be expected to win.
Week 8 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - New Orleans Saints (-4), San Diego Chargers (-4), Dallas Cowboys (-4), Washington Redskins (-4), New England Patriots (-3)
The Biggest Movers - Philadelphia Eagles (+6), Buffalo Bills (+4), Minnesota Vikings (+4), Detroit Lions (+3), Tennessee Titans (+3)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), San Francisco 49ers (2), Arizona Cardinals (27)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 8
Green Bay Packers
Check back tomorrow for week 9 predictions.
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 31)
Even without Manning at the helm, the Indianapolis Colts shouldn’t be this bad. Could 0-16 really be a possibility? If they get to 0-14, I hope Coach Caldwell benches his starting players to make 0-16 a reality. If it was good enough for 14-0, it's good enough for 0-14.
# 31 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 30)
Make up your mind, Reggie Bush. Do the Dolphins stink or are you guys just having too much fun wallowing in your own winless filth?
# 30 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 32)
Unfortunately for the Rams, and the people of St. Louis, the Cardinals can’t celebrate a World Series championship at the Edward Jones Dome every Sunday.
# 29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 28)
We'll see just how much the Jaguars have left in them this season when they come back from their bye week and face off against the winless Colts. I sure hope a riveting game like that will be shown on TV somewhere.
# 28 - Denver Broncos (previous: 26)
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that last game against the Lions probably wasn't the finest moment in Tim Tebow's career. Unfortunately, it may be a defining moment of his career and that definition was sh… not good. Note: you can’t curse in a post about Tim Tebow! You just can’t. It wouldn’t be proper.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 27)
Fitzgerald will be hard-pressed to make his run to the Hall of Fame if the Cardinals can’t get him a decent quarterback in the next few years.
# 26 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 24)
Aside from the two games against the Falcons and Giants, Seattle hasn't scored more than 17 points. Seven wins this season seems a stretch with such woeful offensive performance.
# 25 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 29)
The Vikings dodged a bullet on Sunday, but at least they have hope for the future with Ponder looking confident at quarterback.
# 24 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 25)
All the stats don't mean anything if you can't be ahead on the scoreboard when it matters most. The Panthers have another week to stew before they can try and get back into the win column.
# 23 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 21)
Cleveland's disappointing start this season is made even more profound by Cincinnati's great start. Who would have thought before the season the Browns, not the Bengals, would be the team left out of the AFC North mix?
# 22 - Washington Redskins (previous: 18)
The Redskins are primed to finish the season on a 13-game losing streak. I hope to see that happen.
# 21 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 22)
Backfield injuries may short-circuit Tampa Bay's attempt to challenge New Orleans and Atlanta.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 23)
From three straight losses to four straight wins and a tie for the divisional lead. The Chiefs may not have all the pieces in place to continue this run, but they certainly have the potential to keep surprising people.
# 19 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 15)
Seriously, Dallas? THAT was your effort against the Eagles on Sunday?
# 18 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 17)
Nothing like moving into a tie for first place while sitting idle at home. We'll know soon enough if the bye week helped Carson Palmer adapt to the new offense.
# 17 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 13)
The last thing Philip Rivers needed was to choke away the snap in the final seconds of that game on Monday night. Until the Chargers win a playoff game and advance deep into the postseason they will always be the team best identified with underachievement.
# 16 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 19)
Chris Johnson continues to disappoint. Maybe coaches should bench him for a week and turn Javon Ringer loose. That might wake CJ2K up from his contract hangover.
# 15 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 16)
The Dirty Birds are flying again and the collapse of the Saints in St. Louis over the weekend has given them some hope.
# 14 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 20)
As much as I hate to say it, the Eagles may have turned a huge corner with their win over Dallas and could run the table to finish 12-4 if Vick can minimize his turnovers and maximize the big plays this offense is capable of.
# 13 - New York Giants (previous: 14)
Warning: The high-flying Eagles are closer than they appear.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - New York Jets (previous: 11)
The fate of the Jets will be decided in the next two weeks as they come out of the bye week with games scheduled against Buffalo and New England. That should give them something to talk about.
# 11 - Chicago Bears (previous: 12)
The Bears will most likely be the odd team out of the NFC North's three-team race, but they still have potential to slip into the playoffs as the final wild card.
# 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 8)
The Steelers have improved much of late. A victory over the Ravens will prove they are finally back for real and slingshot them into the elite among the AFC.
# 9 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 10)
Surprise, surprise. The Bengals are not only relevant halfway through the season, they are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
# 8 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 4)
Even good teams have off days. I'll give the Saints a pass on their loss in St. Louis last week… if they are able to beat the Buccaneers this weekend.
# 7 - Houston Texans (previous: 6)
The Texans are finally playing like they want to win the division. If Andre Johnson can ever get back on the field, this offense will be even scarier.
# 6 - New England Patriots (previous: 3)
If New England can't figure out how to beat press coverage and aggressive bump-and-run tactics, the brilliant start to their season will become just a distant memory.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 9)
The Bills keep forgetting that they are, well… the Bills. A win this week over the Jets will further legitimize their rise back to the ranks of the AFC elite.
# 4 - Detroit Lions (previous: 7)
The roar is back on track! The Thanksgiving date with the Packers will keep people glued to their TVs instead of running for turkey when Detroit plays. Quite a change from the last 50 years.
# 3 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 5)
The Ravens shouldn’t have needed such a dramatic comeback to beat the Cardinals… but great teams overcome adversity like that.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 2)
The 49ers are playing well and would be undefeated but for their early season mental lapse against the Cowboys.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Until they lose, the Packers have to be expected to win.
Week 8 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - New Orleans Saints (-4), San Diego Chargers (-4), Dallas Cowboys (-4), Washington Redskins (-4), New England Patriots (-3)
The Biggest Movers - Philadelphia Eagles (+6), Buffalo Bills (+4), Minnesota Vikings (+4), Detroit Lions (+3), Tennessee Titans (+3)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), San Francisco 49ers (2), Arizona Cardinals (27)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 8
Check back tomorrow for week 9 predictions.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Week 8 Results (2011) ~ "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..."
After eight weeks of the fantasy season gone, the playoff picture is as muddled as ever with most of the division races tightening up over the weekend.
In week 8, both the statistically great, but win-challenged San Diego Chargers and the Carolina Panthers managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the Detroit Lions, who scored 118 points against the Tebow-led Denver Broncos.
Low score falls to the Washington Redskins at 27 points, who, surprisingly, were able to score more fantasy points than the real number of points (23) the Buffalo Bills scored against them.
The Denver Broncos, however, were not so fortunate. Despite not scoring the fewest fantasy points this week, their 40 points proved to be less than the 45 real points Detroit humbled them with.
Closest Game of the Week: Carolina Panthers 77, Minnesota Vikings 72. Somehow I don't think a fantasy victory over the Vikings will help the Panthers get through their bye week after they lost a chance at victory in the real game in the closing seconds.
Fantasy Stars of the Week: LeSean McCoy, 31 points. So much for that great Dallas rush defense.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 4 weeks remaining in the Creative Misfortune fantasy regular season, no teams have yet clinched a fantasy playoff spot (weeks 13-16).
However, the following teams have been eliminated from post-season play (weeks 13-16):
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Week 8 Game Results:
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Score: Carolina Panthers 77, Minnesota Vikings 72
Minnesota's Key Performers: Adrian Peterson (27), Christian Ponder (13), Percy Harvin (10)
Carolina's Key Performers: Cam Newton (24), Steve Smith (17), Greg Olsen (15)
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Tennessee Titans 83, Indianapolis Colts 53
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Curtis Painter (13), Donald Brown (9), Dallas Clark (7)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Defense (18), Nate Washington (15), Rob Bironas (13)
Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers
Fantasy Score: San Francisco 49ers 71, Cleveland Browns 42
Cleveland's Key Performers: Colt McCoy (12), Josh Cribbs (11), Phil Dawson (6)
San Francisco's Key Performers: Frank Gore (19), Alex Smith (13), Defense (12)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 66, Jacksonville Jaguars 37
Jacksonville's Key Performers: Maurice Jones-Drew (13), Jason Hill (6), Defense (5)
Houston's Key Performers: Matt Schaub (17), Arian Foster (18), Kevin Walter (7)
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Fantasy Score: St. Louis Rams 82, New Orleans Saints 58
New Orleans' Key Performers: Lance Moore (13), Drew Brees (10), Pierre Thomas (9)
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (30), Defense (18), Brandon Lloyd (11)
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens
Fantasy Score: Baltimore Ravens 82, Arizona Cardinals 61
Arizona's Key Performers: Beanie Wells (14), Jay Feely (10), Larry Fitzgerald (9)
Baltimore's Key Performers: Ray Rice (27), Anquan Boldin (14), Billy Cundiff (13)
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy Score: Cincinnati Bengals 79, Seattle Seahawks 57
Cincinnati's Key Performers: Defense (24) , A.J. Green (12), Mike Nugent (11)
Seattle's Key Performers: Tarvaris Jackson (10), Sydney Rice (10), Ben Obomanu (10)
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fantasy Score: Philadelphia Eagles 111, Dallas Cowboys 41
Dallas' Key Performers: Laurent Robinson (16), Tony Romo (10), DeMarco Murray (7)
Philadelphia's Key Performers: LeSean McCoy (31), Michael Vick (24), Brent Celek (15)
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
Fantasy Score: Detroit Lions 118, Denver Broncos 40
Detroit's Key Performers: Defense (29), Mathew Stafford (24), Calvin Johnson (18)
Denver's Key Performers: Eric Decker (13), Tim Tebow (12), Knowshon Moreno (6)
Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills
Fantasy Score: Buffalo Bills 96, Washington Redskins 27
Washington's Key Performers: Fred Davis (9), John Beck (5), Defense (5)
Buffalo's Key Performers: Defense (25), Fred Jackson (19), Scott Chandler (15)
Miami Dolphins at New York Giants
Fantasy Score: New York Giants 84, Miami Dolphins 45
Miami's Key Performers: Matt Moore (12), Reggie Bush (11), Steve Slaton (6)
New York's Key Performers: Eli Manning (21), Victor Cruz (15), Mario Manningham (12)
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 80, New England Patriots 52
New England's Key Performers: Tom Brady (15), Deion Branch (9), Rob Gronkowski (9)
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (20), Antonio Brown (12), Shaun Suisham (10)
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy Score: San Diego Chargers 82, Kansas City Chiefs 70
San Diego's Key Performers: Nick Novak (14), Curtis Brinkley (10), Philip Rivers (10)
Kansas City's Key Performers: John Baldwin (14), Jackie Battle (13), Ryan Succop (12)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings.
In week 8, both the statistically great, but win-challenged San Diego Chargers and the Carolina Panthers managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the Detroit Lions, who scored 118 points against the Tebow-led Denver Broncos.
Low score falls to the Washington Redskins at 27 points, who, surprisingly, were able to score more fantasy points than the real number of points (23) the Buffalo Bills scored against them.
The Denver Broncos, however, were not so fortunate. Despite not scoring the fewest fantasy points this week, their 40 points proved to be less than the 45 real points Detroit humbled them with.
Closest Game of the Week: Carolina Panthers 77, Minnesota Vikings 72. Somehow I don't think a fantasy victory over the Vikings will help the Panthers get through their bye week after they lost a chance at victory in the real game in the closing seconds.
Fantasy Stars of the Week: LeSean McCoy, 31 points. So much for that great Dallas rush defense.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 4 weeks remaining in the Creative Misfortune fantasy regular season, no teams have yet clinched a fantasy playoff spot (weeks 13-16).
However, the following teams have been eliminated from post-season play (weeks 13-16):
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Week 8 Game Results:
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Score: Carolina Panthers 77, Minnesota Vikings 72
Minnesota's Key Performers: Adrian Peterson (27), Christian Ponder (13), Percy Harvin (10)
Carolina's Key Performers: Cam Newton (24), Steve Smith (17), Greg Olsen (15)
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Tennessee Titans 83, Indianapolis Colts 53
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Curtis Painter (13), Donald Brown (9), Dallas Clark (7)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Defense (18), Nate Washington (15), Rob Bironas (13)
Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers
Fantasy Score: San Francisco 49ers 71, Cleveland Browns 42
Cleveland's Key Performers: Colt McCoy (12), Josh Cribbs (11), Phil Dawson (6)
San Francisco's Key Performers: Frank Gore (19), Alex Smith (13), Defense (12)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 66, Jacksonville Jaguars 37
Jacksonville's Key Performers: Maurice Jones-Drew (13), Jason Hill (6), Defense (5)
Houston's Key Performers: Matt Schaub (17), Arian Foster (18), Kevin Walter (7)
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Fantasy Score: St. Louis Rams 82, New Orleans Saints 58
New Orleans' Key Performers: Lance Moore (13), Drew Brees (10), Pierre Thomas (9)
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (30), Defense (18), Brandon Lloyd (11)
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens
Fantasy Score: Baltimore Ravens 82, Arizona Cardinals 61
Arizona's Key Performers: Beanie Wells (14), Jay Feely (10), Larry Fitzgerald (9)
Baltimore's Key Performers: Ray Rice (27), Anquan Boldin (14), Billy Cundiff (13)
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks
Fantasy Score: Cincinnati Bengals 79, Seattle Seahawks 57
Cincinnati's Key Performers: Defense (24) , A.J. Green (12), Mike Nugent (11)
Seattle's Key Performers: Tarvaris Jackson (10), Sydney Rice (10), Ben Obomanu (10)
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fantasy Score: Philadelphia Eagles 111, Dallas Cowboys 41
Dallas' Key Performers: Laurent Robinson (16), Tony Romo (10), DeMarco Murray (7)
Philadelphia's Key Performers: LeSean McCoy (31), Michael Vick (24), Brent Celek (15)
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
Fantasy Score: Detroit Lions 118, Denver Broncos 40
Detroit's Key Performers: Defense (29), Mathew Stafford (24), Calvin Johnson (18)
Denver's Key Performers: Eric Decker (13), Tim Tebow (12), Knowshon Moreno (6)
Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills
Fantasy Score: Buffalo Bills 96, Washington Redskins 27
Washington's Key Performers: Fred Davis (9), John Beck (5), Defense (5)
Buffalo's Key Performers: Defense (25), Fred Jackson (19), Scott Chandler (15)
Miami Dolphins at New York Giants
Fantasy Score: New York Giants 84, Miami Dolphins 45
Miami's Key Performers: Matt Moore (12), Reggie Bush (11), Steve Slaton (6)
New York's Key Performers: Eli Manning (21), Victor Cruz (15), Mario Manningham (12)
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 80, New England Patriots 52
New England's Key Performers: Tom Brady (15), Deion Branch (9), Rob Gronkowski (9)
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (20), Antonio Brown (12), Shaun Suisham (10)
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy Score: San Diego Chargers 82, Kansas City Chiefs 70
San Diego's Key Performers: Nick Novak (14), Curtis Brinkley (10), Philip Rivers (10)
Kansas City's Key Performers: John Baldwin (14), Jackie Battle (13), Ryan Succop (12)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Predictions of Creative Misfortune - MNF - Week 8 (2011)
Big-time comebacks, some unexpected blowouts and a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change from week-to-week in the NFL. Week 8, everybody. Let's finish it off right with a solid divisional matchup on Monday night.
Monday Night Game Prediction:
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Diego Chargers by 7. Even though I am picking the Chargers, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Chiefs won this game by a touchdown or two.
Scottie V's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. The Arrowhead crowd will be raucous on a Monday night.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Diego Chargers by 4. Chargers by 3.5, Over/Under 44.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3. Chargers better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3.
Week 8 "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..." results will be posted on Wednesday. As we enter the final 4 games of the fantasy season, many teams are still fighting for their playoff lives...
Monday Night Game Prediction:
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Diego Chargers by 7. Even though I am picking the Chargers, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Chiefs won this game by a touchdown or two.
Scottie V's Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3. The Arrowhead crowd will be raucous on a Monday night.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Diego Chargers by 4. Chargers by 3.5, Over/Under 44.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Diego Chargers by 3. Chargers better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Kansas City Chiefs by 3.
Week 8 "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..." results will be posted on Wednesday. As we enter the final 4 games of the fantasy season, many teams are still fighting for their playoff lives...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Predictions of Creative Misfortune - Week 8 (2011)
Another exciting NFL weekend awaits us with some classic matchups and some real clunkers. See how all systems think each game will shake out in week 8.
Sunday Game Predictions:
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 7. The Ravens should win this one by a large margin, but after last Monday, all bets are off.
Scottie V's Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 17. Flacco and Co. looked unimpressive last weekend, but look for them to have their way with the Cardinals at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 13. Ravens 12.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 3. Ravens better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 3.
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. When Carolina went 1-15 their 1 came against the Vikings. I don’t see any reason to think they can’t beat them again this year.
Scottie V's Pick: Carolina Panthers by 4. Ponder vs. Newton… I like Newton at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. Panthers by 3, Over/Under 48.
Best Record Wins Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. Panthers better at 2-5.
Home Team Wins Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Houston Texans by 14. The Texans might get Andre Johnson back this week. If he returns, he'll add extra power to an already intimidating offense.
Scottie V's Pick: Houston Texans by 3. If the Texans are ever going to win the AFC South this seems to be the year… Now if they could just pull it together…
Vegas Lines Pick: Houston Texans by 10. Texans by 9.5, Over/Under 40.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3. Texans better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3.
Miami Dolphins at New York Giants
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New York Giants by 10. Miami will remain among the beaten. It's not that I have overwhelming faith in the Giants to win, it's that I have faith the Dolphins will find a way to lose.
Scottie V's Pick: New York Giants by 13. Will the Dolphins ever recover from their late-game collapse last week? And that was against a bad Bronco team.
Vegas Lines Pick: New York Giants by 10. Giants 9.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: New York Giants by 3. Giants better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: New York Giants by 3.
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 28. Even at home the Rams won’t have a counter for Drew Brees.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 23. Yikes… At least St. Louis has the Cardinals they can be proud of.
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans Saints by 14. Saints by 13.5, Over/Under 48.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3. Saints better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Tennessee Titans by 9. Even a lackluster Titans team should be able to handle the punchless Colts at home.
Scottie V's Pick: Tennessee Titans by 6. This could be the lame-o game of the week… Colts keep their edge in the Luck sweepstakes.
Vegas Lines Pick: Tennessee Titans by 9. Titans by 8.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3. Titans better at 3-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3.
Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 4. Washington suddenly has no idea what is going on and Buffalo has had an extra week to prepare for this matchup.
Scottie V's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 4. Gotta love Fitzpatrick and the Redskins don't have much fight in their dog.
Vegas Lines Pick: Buffalo Bills by 6. Bills by 5.5, Over/Under 45.
Best Record Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Bills better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3.
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Detroit Lions by 12. There won’t be any last-second magic for Tebow this week.
Scottie V's Pick: Detroit Lions by 4. Certainly much shine has come off this Lions squad the last couple games… But aside from some serious Tebow magic, the Broncos are a bad football team.
Vegas Lines Pick: Detroit Lions by 3. Lions by 3, Over/Under 42.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Detroit Lions by 3. Lions better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Denver Broncos by 3.
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots by 3. The Patriots have played well in Pittsburgh over the last decade. This week they once again prove they are among the AFC's elite.
Scottie V's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 6. Though the Patriots have had the Steelers' number as of late, this Steeler team has too much firepower for the Pats D.
Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Patriots by 3, Over/Under 52.
Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Patriots better at 5-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3.
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 7. Cincinnati just looks better than the Seahawks.
Scottie V's Pick: Seattle Seahawks by 3. The Bengals have looked much better as of late, but the 'Hawks can be tough at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals by 3, Over/Under 38.
Best Record Wins Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Seattle Seahawks by 3.
Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 12. The Browns looked terrible last week and the 49ers are well rested and playing at home.
Scottie V's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 8. The Niners are playing their best ball in years.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 9. 49ers by 9, Over/Under 38.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3. 49ers better at 5-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 2. This gritty game will come down to the wire, but unless Dallas wins big, the NFC East will still be up for grabs.
Scottie V's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 6. The Eagles have to win this game or that city just might have a collective conniption.
Vegas Lines Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3. Eagles by 3, Over/Under 50.
Best Record Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3. Cowboys better at 3-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3.
Check back next week for Monday Night's prediction.
Sunday Game Predictions:
Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 7. The Ravens should win this one by a large margin, but after last Monday, all bets are off.
Scottie V's Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 17. Flacco and Co. looked unimpressive last weekend, but look for them to have their way with the Cardinals at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 13. Ravens 12.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 3. Ravens better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Baltimore Ravens by 3.
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. When Carolina went 1-15 their 1 came against the Vikings. I don’t see any reason to think they can’t beat them again this year.
Scottie V's Pick: Carolina Panthers by 4. Ponder vs. Newton… I like Newton at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. Panthers by 3, Over/Under 48.
Best Record Wins Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3. Panthers better at 2-5.
Home Team Wins Pick: Carolina Panthers by 3.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Houston Texans by 14. The Texans might get Andre Johnson back this week. If he returns, he'll add extra power to an already intimidating offense.
Scottie V's Pick: Houston Texans by 3. If the Texans are ever going to win the AFC South this seems to be the year… Now if they could just pull it together…
Vegas Lines Pick: Houston Texans by 10. Texans by 9.5, Over/Under 40.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3. Texans better at 4-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Houston Texans by 3.
Miami Dolphins at New York Giants
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New York Giants by 10. Miami will remain among the beaten. It's not that I have overwhelming faith in the Giants to win, it's that I have faith the Dolphins will find a way to lose.
Scottie V's Pick: New York Giants by 13. Will the Dolphins ever recover from their late-game collapse last week? And that was against a bad Bronco team.
Vegas Lines Pick: New York Giants by 10. Giants 9.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: New York Giants by 3. Giants better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: New York Giants by 3.
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 28. Even at home the Rams won’t have a counter for Drew Brees.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans Saints by 23. Yikes… At least St. Louis has the Cardinals they can be proud of.
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans Saints by 14. Saints by 13.5, Over/Under 48.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans Saints by 3. Saints better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: St. Louis Rams by 3.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Tennessee Titans by 9. Even a lackluster Titans team should be able to handle the punchless Colts at home.
Scottie V's Pick: Tennessee Titans by 6. This could be the lame-o game of the week… Colts keep their edge in the Luck sweepstakes.
Vegas Lines Pick: Tennessee Titans by 9. Titans by 8.5, Over/Under 43.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3. Titans better at 3-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tennessee Titans by 3.
Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 4. Washington suddenly has no idea what is going on and Buffalo has had an extra week to prepare for this matchup.
Scottie V's Pick: Buffalo Bills by 4. Gotta love Fitzpatrick and the Redskins don't have much fight in their dog.
Vegas Lines Pick: Buffalo Bills by 6. Bills by 5.5, Over/Under 45.
Best Record Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3. Bills better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Buffalo Bills by 3.
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Detroit Lions by 12. There won’t be any last-second magic for Tebow this week.
Scottie V's Pick: Detroit Lions by 4. Certainly much shine has come off this Lions squad the last couple games… But aside from some serious Tebow magic, the Broncos are a bad football team.
Vegas Lines Pick: Detroit Lions by 3. Lions by 3, Over/Under 42.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: Detroit Lions by 3. Lions better at 5-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Denver Broncos by 3.
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England Patriots by 3. The Patriots have played well in Pittsburgh over the last decade. This week they once again prove they are among the AFC's elite.
Scottie V's Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 6. Though the Patriots have had the Steelers' number as of late, this Steeler team has too much firepower for the Pats D.
Vegas Lines Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Patriots by 3, Over/Under 52.
Best Record Wins Pick: New England Patriots by 3. Patriots better at 5-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers by 3.
Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 7. Cincinnati just looks better than the Seahawks.
Scottie V's Pick: Seattle Seahawks by 3. The Bengals have looked much better as of late, but the 'Hawks can be tough at home.
Vegas Lines Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals by 3, Over/Under 38.
Best Record Wins Pick: Cincinnati Bengals by 3. Bengals better at 4-2.
Home Team Wins Pick: Seattle Seahawks by 3.
Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 12. The Browns looked terrible last week and the 49ers are well rested and playing at home.
Scottie V's Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 8. The Niners are playing their best ball in years.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 9. 49ers by 9, Over/Under 38.5.
Best Record Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3. 49ers better at 5-1.
Home Team Wins Pick: San Francisco 49ers by 3.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 2. This gritty game will come down to the wire, but unless Dallas wins big, the NFC East will still be up for grabs.
Scottie V's Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 6. The Eagles have to win this game or that city just might have a collective conniption.
Vegas Lines Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3. Eagles by 3, Over/Under 50.
Best Record Wins Pick: Dallas Cowboys by 3. Cowboys better at 3-3.
Home Team Wins Pick: Philadelphia Eagles by 3.
Check back next week for Monday Night's prediction.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings - Week 7 (2011)
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings are based on a complicated formula that takes into account, among other things, a team's projected ability to score an Offensive Fumble Recovery TD. All power rankings guaranteed to be less accurate than real NFL team abilities on any given Sunday and are subject to change on a weekly basis.
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 32)
The Rams keep looking worse every week. They haven't even been close to winning a game all season.
# 31 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 30)
Horrible effort by the Colts last Sunday night in New Orleans. They were never going to win that game, but they certainly should not have been blown out that bad. 45-7, sure. But 62-7, that's ridiculous.
# 30 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 31)
If the last five minutes of the Denver game hasn’t convinced the owners to make a coaching change, nothing will.
# 29 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 25)
One of the best 1-6 teams in the history of the league, Ponder provided a spark for the Vikings on Sunday. Too bad the rest of the team wasn't up to the challenge of playing a full four quarters against the Packers. Three quarters of solid play will never be good enough.
# 28 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 29)
That was an ugly win over the Ravens, but at this stage in the season, the Jags will take them anyway they can get them.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 24)
It's still hard to believe this team has fallen so low after being in the Super Bowl just a few seasons ago. For all of you out there clambering for Peyton Manning to be MVP this season after the Colts' dreadful start, I give you exhibit B for your argument: the Arizona Cardinals in the years since Kurt Warner retired.
# 26 - Denver Broncos (previous: 26)
Say what you want about Tim Tebow's start in Miami over the weekend. Bottom line is he won the game, something Denver has failed to do consistently since Elway retired.
# 25 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 28)
At 2-5, the playoffs are a long-shot, but Carolina is building a team here with Cam Newton that could be a force to be reckoned with next season.
# 24 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 22)
Yuck. Some fans actually had to watch that game.
# 23 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 27)
Have the Chiefs suddenly figured things out and turned the corner on their season? Monday night's matchup against the Chargers has suddenly become interesting.
# 22 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 19)
Just when the Bucs seem to get going, injuries strike down their backfield.
# 21 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 23)
Yuck. At least the Browns rewarded their fans with a win after that miserable outing.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 21)
Out of the bye week they face the Cowboys. It's still anybody's division in the NFC East and the first Cowboys-Eagles matchup will do little to clear up the division race, unless the Eagles get crushed at home.
# 19 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 12)
I am so glad Chris Johnson held out for his new contract. At least he is fat and happy now and the Titans have to be giddy at the thought of paying him six figures a yard after his woeful production this season.
# 18 - Washington Redskins (previous: 14)
The best of Washington's season looks to be behind them.
# 17 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 11)
In a game that featured eight interceptions, the Raiders QBs combined to throw six of them. It's still too early to say the Palmer trade was bad - and I don’t believe it is - but to get smoked at home 28-0 by the Chiefs doesn’t bode well for Oakland's immediate future.
# 16 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 18)
Huge win over the Lions. The Falcons may just have saved their season with that victory, now that they hold a wild card tiebreaker over Detroit.
# 15 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 20)
The Cowboys should beat teams like the Rams by 27. I'll believe they have turned a corner if they come out of Philadelphia with a win Sunday night.
# 14 - New York Giants (previous: 16)
The NFC East is theirs to lose at this point, but the Giants still have a long way to go before they get to the playoffs.
# 13 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 8)
What is going on with Rivers? There are few teams more baffling than the San Diego Chargers.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Chicago Bears (previous: 15)
Solid win against a solid foe on the soil of some far-flung country. Detroit's stumbles of late have given the Bears some hope.
# 11 - New York Jets (previous: 17)
If the defense can keep the Jets in a game, the offense should be just talented enough to win it at the end.
# 10 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 10)
The surprise team of 2011 comes out of its bye week fresh and ready to keep on winning.
# 9 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 9)
Another surprise team of 2011 comes out of its bye week fresh and ready to keep on winning.
# 8 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 7)
Nobody was happier about the Ravens' loss than the Steelers.
# 7 - Detroit Lions (previous: 5)
Two losses in a row and now an injury to Matthew Stafford. Will he ever be able to complete a full season without getting dinged up?
# 6 - Houston Texans (previous: 13)
That is how you seize control of the division.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 2)
In their four wins, the Ravens have been stellar. In their two losses, Baltimore has looked about as bad as a team can look. What gives?
# 4 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 6)
Way to shut down the offense late in the third quarter. No need to subject the stars to unnecessary punishment when the game has already been decided and the stats have been accumulated.
# 3 - New England Patriots (previous: 4)
Out of the bye week and on the road to Pittsburgh - a place where the Patriots have done quite well in the past 10 years. We'll see how well they made use of their extra week to prepare.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 3)
The 49ers aren’t there yet, but as the best team in the NFC West they are definitely well on their way.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Nothing like a 20-point third quarter on the road against a division rival to solidify Green Bay as the #1 team in the league.
Week 7 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Tennessee Titans (-7), Oakland Raiders (-6), San Diego Chargers (-5), Washington Redskins (-4), Minnesota Vikings (-4)
The Biggest Movers - Houston Texans (+7), New York Jets (+6), Dallas Cowboys (+5), Kansas City Chiefs (+4), Chicago Bears (+3)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), Buffalo Bills (9), Cincinnati Bengals (10), Denver Broncos (26), St. Louis Rams (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 7
Green Bay Packers
Check back tomorrow for week 8 predictions.
When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 32)
The Rams keep looking worse every week. They haven't even been close to winning a game all season.
# 31 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 30)
Horrible effort by the Colts last Sunday night in New Orleans. They were never going to win that game, but they certainly should not have been blown out that bad. 45-7, sure. But 62-7, that's ridiculous.
# 30 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 31)
If the last five minutes of the Denver game hasn’t convinced the owners to make a coaching change, nothing will.
# 29 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 25)
One of the best 1-6 teams in the history of the league, Ponder provided a spark for the Vikings on Sunday. Too bad the rest of the team wasn't up to the challenge of playing a full four quarters against the Packers. Three quarters of solid play will never be good enough.
# 28 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 29)
That was an ugly win over the Ravens, but at this stage in the season, the Jags will take them anyway they can get them.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 24)
It's still hard to believe this team has fallen so low after being in the Super Bowl just a few seasons ago. For all of you out there clambering for Peyton Manning to be MVP this season after the Colts' dreadful start, I give you exhibit B for your argument: the Arizona Cardinals in the years since Kurt Warner retired.
# 26 - Denver Broncos (previous: 26)
Say what you want about Tim Tebow's start in Miami over the weekend. Bottom line is he won the game, something Denver has failed to do consistently since Elway retired.
# 25 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 28)
At 2-5, the playoffs are a long-shot, but Carolina is building a team here with Cam Newton that could be a force to be reckoned with next season.
# 24 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 22)
Yuck. Some fans actually had to watch that game.
# 23 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 27)
Have the Chiefs suddenly figured things out and turned the corner on their season? Monday night's matchup against the Chargers has suddenly become interesting.
# 22 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 19)
Just when the Bucs seem to get going, injuries strike down their backfield.
# 21 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 23)
Yuck. At least the Browns rewarded their fans with a win after that miserable outing.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 21)
Out of the bye week they face the Cowboys. It's still anybody's division in the NFC East and the first Cowboys-Eagles matchup will do little to clear up the division race, unless the Eagles get crushed at home.
# 19 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 12)
I am so glad Chris Johnson held out for his new contract. At least he is fat and happy now and the Titans have to be giddy at the thought of paying him six figures a yard after his woeful production this season.
# 18 - Washington Redskins (previous: 14)
The best of Washington's season looks to be behind them.
# 17 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 11)
In a game that featured eight interceptions, the Raiders QBs combined to throw six of them. It's still too early to say the Palmer trade was bad - and I don’t believe it is - but to get smoked at home 28-0 by the Chiefs doesn’t bode well for Oakland's immediate future.
# 16 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 18)
Huge win over the Lions. The Falcons may just have saved their season with that victory, now that they hold a wild card tiebreaker over Detroit.
# 15 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 20)
The Cowboys should beat teams like the Rams by 27. I'll believe they have turned a corner if they come out of Philadelphia with a win Sunday night.
# 14 - New York Giants (previous: 16)
The NFC East is theirs to lose at this point, but the Giants still have a long way to go before they get to the playoffs.
# 13 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 8)
What is going on with Rivers? There are few teams more baffling than the San Diego Chargers.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Chicago Bears (previous: 15)
Solid win against a solid foe on the soil of some far-flung country. Detroit's stumbles of late have given the Bears some hope.
# 11 - New York Jets (previous: 17)
If the defense can keep the Jets in a game, the offense should be just talented enough to win it at the end.
# 10 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 10)
The surprise team of 2011 comes out of its bye week fresh and ready to keep on winning.
# 9 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 9)
Another surprise team of 2011 comes out of its bye week fresh and ready to keep on winning.
# 8 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 7)
Nobody was happier about the Ravens' loss than the Steelers.
# 7 - Detroit Lions (previous: 5)
Two losses in a row and now an injury to Matthew Stafford. Will he ever be able to complete a full season without getting dinged up?
# 6 - Houston Texans (previous: 13)
That is how you seize control of the division.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 2)
In their four wins, the Ravens have been stellar. In their two losses, Baltimore has looked about as bad as a team can look. What gives?
# 4 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 6)
Way to shut down the offense late in the third quarter. No need to subject the stars to unnecessary punishment when the game has already been decided and the stats have been accumulated.
# 3 - New England Patriots (previous: 4)
Out of the bye week and on the road to Pittsburgh - a place where the Patriots have done quite well in the past 10 years. We'll see how well they made use of their extra week to prepare.
# 2 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 3)
The 49ers aren’t there yet, but as the best team in the NFC West they are definitely well on their way.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Nothing like a 20-point third quarter on the road against a division rival to solidify Green Bay as the #1 team in the league.
Week 7 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Tennessee Titans (-7), Oakland Raiders (-6), San Diego Chargers (-5), Washington Redskins (-4), Minnesota Vikings (-4)
The Biggest Movers - Houston Texans (+7), New York Jets (+6), Dallas Cowboys (+5), Kansas City Chiefs (+4), Chicago Bears (+3)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), Buffalo Bills (9), Cincinnati Bengals (10), Denver Broncos (26), St. Louis Rams (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 7
Check back tomorrow for week 8 predictions.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Week 7 Results (2011) ~ "If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..."
After a bunch of defensive contests last week where no teams scored over 100, this week the offenses exploded in some games and four separate teams - the Saints, Cowboys, Texans and Steelers - all eclipsed the century mark.
In week 7, no teams managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the New Orleans Saints, who scored 139 points against the Indianapolis Colts.
Low score falls to the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Both only managed 16 total points and were unable to even touch the 62 and 41 real points laid on them by the Saints and the Texans.
The St. Louis Rams also checked in with fewer fantasy points (32) than the real number of points (34) the Dallas Cowboys scored against them.
Closest Game of the Week: Denver Broncos 61, Miami Dolphins 58. Sure the game itself was terrible until the last five minutes when Tim Tebow emerged as the greatest non-traditional quarterback to take the field since sliced bread.
Fantasy Stars of the Week: Arian Foster, 40 points. He outscored the Colts and the Titans himself by a full 8 fantasy points this week.
Week 7 Game Results:
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 110, Tennessee Titans 16
Houston's Key Performers: Arian Foster (40), Matt Schaub (19), Defense (16)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Jared Cook (8), Matt Hasselbeck (4), Javon Ringer (4)
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Fantasy Score: Kansas City Chiefs 65, Oakland Raiders 22
Kansas City's Key Performers: Defense (35), Dwayne Bowe (7), Jackie Battle (7)
Oakland's Key Performers: Michael Bush (10), Darius Heyward-Bey (8), Taiwan Jones (4)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 100, Arizona Cardinals 48
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (26), Mike Wallace (17), Shaun Suisham (14)
Arizona's Key Performers: Kevin Kolb (17), Early Doucet (9), Larry Fitzgerald (7)
Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Score: Carolina Panthers 95, Washington Redskins 57
Washington's Key Performers: John Beck (18), Fred Davis (14), Graham Gano (9)
Carolina's Key Performers: Cam Newton (25), Olindo Mare (18), Steve Smith (14)
Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns
Fantasy Score: Cleveland Browns 53, Seattle Seahawks 32
Seattle's Key Performers: Defense (18), Leon Washington (4), Sydney Rice (3)
Cleveland's Key Performers: Defense (14), Montario Hardesty (11), Colt McCoy (8)
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions
Fantasy Score: Atlanta Falcons 69, Detroit Lions 59
Atlanta's Key Performers: Matt Ryan (14), Michael Turner (12), Matt Bryant (13)
Detroit's Key Performers: Calvin Johnson (17), Mathew Stafford (11), Jason Hanson (11)
Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
Fantasy Score: New Orleans Saints 139, Indianapolis Colts 16
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Delone Carter (12), Donald Brown (4), Pierre Garcon (3)
New Orleans' Key Performers: Drew Brees (33), Marques Colston (21), Darren Sproles (21)
Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy Score: Chicago Bears 75, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 58
Chicago's Key Performers: Matt Forte (23), Roy Williams (11), Defense (9)
Tampa Bay's Key Performers: Dezmon Briscoe (13), Josh Freeman (10), Kellen Winslow (8)
St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Score: Dallas Cowboys 102, St. Louis Rams 32
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (13), Brandon Lloyd (7), A.J. Feeley (5)
Dallas' Key Performers: DeMarco Murray (31), Dez Bryant (15), Tony Romo (14)
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy Score: Green Bay Packers 91, Minnesota Vikings 83
Green Bay's Key Performers: Aaron Rodgers (25), Greg Jennings (20), Mason Crosby (18)
Minnesota's Key Performers: Adrian Peterson (23), Michale Jenkins (17), Christian Ponder (15)
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins
Fantasy Score: Denver Broncos 61, Miami Dolphins 58
Denver's Key Performers: Tim Tebow (22), Daniel Fells (9), Demaryius Thomas (8)
Miami's Key Performers: Dan Carpenter (10), Defense (9), Matt Moore (9)
San Diego Chargers at New York Jets
Fantasy Score: New York Jets 74, San Diego Chargers 52
San Diego's Key Performers: Mike Tolbert (11), Antonio Gates (11), Defense (11)
New York's Key Performers: Plaxico Burress (20), Mark Sanchez (18), Shonne Greene (11)
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy Score: Jacksonville Jaguars 49, Baltimore Ravens 35
Baltimore's Key Performers: Defense (10), Anquan Boldin (10), Joe Flacco (7)
Jacksonville's Key Performers: Josh Scobee (18), Defense (11), Maurice Jones-Drew (8)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings.
In week 7, no teams managed to win a fantasy game they lost in real life.
High score of the week goes to the New Orleans Saints, who scored 139 points against the Indianapolis Colts.
Low score falls to the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Both only managed 16 total points and were unable to even touch the 62 and 41 real points laid on them by the Saints and the Texans.
The St. Louis Rams also checked in with fewer fantasy points (32) than the real number of points (34) the Dallas Cowboys scored against them.
Closest Game of the Week: Denver Broncos 61, Miami Dolphins 58. Sure the game itself was terrible until the last five minutes when Tim Tebow emerged as the greatest non-traditional quarterback to take the field since sliced bread.
Fantasy Stars of the Week: Arian Foster, 40 points. He outscored the Colts and the Titans himself by a full 8 fantasy points this week.
Week 7 Game Results:
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Score: Houston Texans 110, Tennessee Titans 16
Houston's Key Performers: Arian Foster (40), Matt Schaub (19), Defense (16)
Tennessee's Key Performers: Jared Cook (8), Matt Hasselbeck (4), Javon Ringer (4)
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Fantasy Score: Kansas City Chiefs 65, Oakland Raiders 22
Kansas City's Key Performers: Defense (35), Dwayne Bowe (7), Jackie Battle (7)
Oakland's Key Performers: Michael Bush (10), Darius Heyward-Bey (8), Taiwan Jones (4)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy Score: Pittsburgh Steelers 100, Arizona Cardinals 48
Pittsburgh's Key Performers: Ben Roethlisberger (26), Mike Wallace (17), Shaun Suisham (14)
Arizona's Key Performers: Kevin Kolb (17), Early Doucet (9), Larry Fitzgerald (7)
Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Score: Carolina Panthers 95, Washington Redskins 57
Washington's Key Performers: John Beck (18), Fred Davis (14), Graham Gano (9)
Carolina's Key Performers: Cam Newton (25), Olindo Mare (18), Steve Smith (14)
Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns
Fantasy Score: Cleveland Browns 53, Seattle Seahawks 32
Seattle's Key Performers: Defense (18), Leon Washington (4), Sydney Rice (3)
Cleveland's Key Performers: Defense (14), Montario Hardesty (11), Colt McCoy (8)
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions
Fantasy Score: Atlanta Falcons 69, Detroit Lions 59
Atlanta's Key Performers: Matt Ryan (14), Michael Turner (12), Matt Bryant (13)
Detroit's Key Performers: Calvin Johnson (17), Mathew Stafford (11), Jason Hanson (11)
Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
Fantasy Score: New Orleans Saints 139, Indianapolis Colts 16
Indianapolis' Key Performers: Delone Carter (12), Donald Brown (4), Pierre Garcon (3)
New Orleans' Key Performers: Drew Brees (33), Marques Colston (21), Darren Sproles (21)
Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy Score: Chicago Bears 75, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 58
Chicago's Key Performers: Matt Forte (23), Roy Williams (11), Defense (9)
Tampa Bay's Key Performers: Dezmon Briscoe (13), Josh Freeman (10), Kellen Winslow (8)
St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Score: Dallas Cowboys 102, St. Louis Rams 32
St. Louis' Key Performers: Steven Jackson (13), Brandon Lloyd (7), A.J. Feeley (5)
Dallas' Key Performers: DeMarco Murray (31), Dez Bryant (15), Tony Romo (14)
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy Score: Green Bay Packers 91, Minnesota Vikings 83
Green Bay's Key Performers: Aaron Rodgers (25), Greg Jennings (20), Mason Crosby (18)
Minnesota's Key Performers: Adrian Peterson (23), Michale Jenkins (17), Christian Ponder (15)
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins
Fantasy Score: Denver Broncos 61, Miami Dolphins 58
Denver's Key Performers: Tim Tebow (22), Daniel Fells (9), Demaryius Thomas (8)
Miami's Key Performers: Dan Carpenter (10), Defense (9), Matt Moore (9)
San Diego Chargers at New York Jets
Fantasy Score: New York Jets 74, San Diego Chargers 52
San Diego's Key Performers: Mike Tolbert (11), Antonio Gates (11), Defense (11)
New York's Key Performers: Plaxico Burress (20), Mark Sanchez (18), Shonne Greene (11)
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy Score: Jacksonville Jaguars 49, Baltimore Ravens 35
Baltimore's Key Performers: Defense (10), Anquan Boldin (10), Joe Flacco (7)
Jacksonville's Key Performers: Josh Scobee (18), Defense (11), Maurice Jones-Drew (8)
Tomorrow, The Art of Creative Misfortune Power Rankings.
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