Atom Bombs 2012 Championship Game! (End of the World Special)

The final week. And, if you are delusional and believe in the Mayan prophecies, the final day. Ever. But I don’t. Sorry. I lump that in with the Madden Curse, jinxes, and that Tony’s marriage is legit and not a cover for his love of men. Incidentally, I wonder how many guys used the “Come on, the world’s gonna end tomorrow” line last night? And in 9 months how many babies will be born with the name “#$%@ing Mayans”. These are the things that I have been thinking about since I am not in the finals. And of course since the BCS game isn’t for like 2 ½ weeks still, I have had some time. Fantasy football is weird in that you can have a seemingly stacked team, but since the games are only 1/ week if those guys underperform once, that can doom you. ESPN’s Matthew Berry made a great point this week that I will paraphrase: You could have had a team starting Ray Rice and Doug Martin at running back with Jamaal Charles in the flex, Demaryius Thomas and Victor Cruz at wideout, Jimmy Graham, the 49ers’ defense and fantasy’s highest-scoring kicker heading into Week 15, Lawrence Tynes, with Matthew Stafford at quarterback … would have scored, 42.34 points (adjusted for our league’s scoring). And would have lost to a team that started Dennis Pitta and Danny Woodhead by themselves with 50.7.

It’s things like this that make fantasy football both so much fun, and so frustrating all at the same time.

Since we only have the 2 games left (championship and 3^rd place) let’s just get right to it.

Real quick fun fact that doesn’t involve any of the teams below: Adrian Peterson has rushed for more yards in the past 7 games than the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Jaguars have… ALL YEAR. Wow.

3^rd place game-

Phinest vs Topes– Disappointing ends to their collective seasons as these 2 strong teams battle for the right to draft in the 7^th/ 8^th spots. QB has been the only real issue for the Topes. Eli has been his normal up and down self this year, and that really cost him. DeMarco should have a great game vs the Saints, but their D has actually improved quite a bit over the past few weeks. Patrick Peterson may slow Marshall down a bit. Jamaal Charles has to be frustrating. When he is great, there aren’t many better. But when he isn’t? You’re talking 2-4 points. I’m thinking in the 12-14 point range here. For the Phinest, Beast Mode gets the Niners D so that might keep him under 13. I like Heath Miller here. And Andre Johnson should be able to have another solid game. No surprise there! Not big on Denario Alexander this week. Really everything that could have gone wrong for the Topes last week did. But I am picking him to win this final game of their season.

Championship game-

LOD vs Warriors– First off, let’s look at how their teams finished player-wise in the rankings. The LOD have the #4 QB; #10, 25, and 30 in WR’s; #2, 10, and 26 in RB’s; #2 in TE (surprising actually since it’s Gronk and he hasn’t even played since week 11!!!); and the #1 D. The Warriors have the #7 QB; #5, 13, and 31 RB’s; #3, 20, and 21 in WR’s; #3 in TE; and the #2 D (but in fairness he picked them up only a month ago). Of course these rankings are all based on fantasy points scored YTD. The key to the LOD’s year? Gambling and picking up Alfred Morris in week 2. That gave them the #2 RB in points with Foster, and the #10 one also. Gutsy call and it paid off. Always a risk when you try to read Shanahan’s mind. But you don’t get to the finals and a possible title without some luck. Good job moving Gronk out of your lineup since he has been ruled out. Unfortunately that makes you stuck with Bennett. Starting Joique Bell is a gutsy call. Two weeks ago the Falcons run D got torched by Cam and D Willy. Then last week they held up great against the G Men. Yeah, I know that doesn’t help at all, just showing how bipolar they can be. Still annoyed that Brandon Lloyd has been in the LOD’s lineup for 12 out of 15 games this year (and is in this week too) and he made the $%#&ing finals!!! Ugh. That being said, I actually do like his matchup a bit as Brady has been targeting the hell out of him the past few weeks. Mr. Morris does get an Eagles D that has been not horrible lately. Bad timing but with RGIII starting, he should still get points. For the Star Warriors, as great of a pickup for the entire year as Morris has been, Dave really hit big for the short term on Moreno. Great in week 1, hurt in week 2. Then out of nowhere from week 12 on has been phenomenal. Dude wasn’t even supposed to be active. Crazy. And he gets a Browns defense that has been porous against RB’s in 4 of the past 5 games allowing either 100 yards or a TD in them. Last time that the Law Firm faced the Stillers they held him to 6.90 points. Risky going with Seattle against CK7 and the Niners. Fortunate for Dave he has Matty Ice at home this week. Oops not sure how i missed that the Falcons were on the road. Sorry!!! Supastar Jimmy Graham hasn’t scored in double digits since week 11. He’s come close, but still. Bears watching. AJ Green has only had 3 single digit games this year. However 1 of those came against this weeks opponent the Stillers. He did score, but they held him mostly in check. Obviously no one is sitting him, just another thing to keep an eye on. OK, is that enough of an overview on the game?! I am torn on this one. On one hand, The LOD’s RGIII, Foster and Morris could all have CRAZY games and put up 80+ by themselves. On the other, Warriors have a deep, balanced team that may withstand that. Well, pick here is the Warriors. Come on Gar, prove me wrong!!!
S
;

Good luck gang!s

Atom Bombs 2012 Week 15 Playoff Round Deux

We got semi-finals action yo!!! Only 2 weeks remain in our season, now some teams are playing for next year’s draft position, while 4 still have a shot at the title. I have been crazy busy this week and haven’t really had the time to get a good lead-in going so I apologize. Therefore, jumping right into the picks! Hope that’s ok CHALK!

First, the loser’s bracket:

SPV vs Cowboys– Will Nick at least be able to salvage a #3 pick? Or will Jimmy get his 2^nd win of the year? Neat stat about Nick’s TE- Jason Witten has not caught a TD pass from Romo in 19 games. His lone TD catch this year came in week 4 against the Bears and thrown by Kyle Orton! Well, it was neat to me anyways! I like the SPV going all in on the Thursday game with Maclin, Bengals D, and my Ginger QB! Reggie Bush should do well, and I kind of like Crabtree here. For the Cowboys, how will Dez do against the Stillers with the fractured finger? He says he’ll play, but… Gotta like Trent Richardson vs the Skins. Pick- upset for the SPV!!! And MAJOR trash talk ammo for the draft next year too. Come on kid!!!!

Atoms vs Blitzers– And it comes down to will Chalk have the #1 pick or Nick? For anyone that is worried about Nick possibly getting the #1 and #3 picks… please see where my team finished this year. Ugh. For Chalk’s mighty Blitzers, I don’t care that NE is going against a tough D in SF. Brady is a beast and a must start. I really thought that Chalk would have had a better year, sorry my man. Spiller will get the workload… but he gets the Seahawks D. Wallace should do well. For the Atoms, sooo annoyed because matchups are all in my favor. Drafted with that thought in mind, and fell a bit short in the end. Oh well. Unless the Mayans are right in 8 days, there’s always next year! Eff it, Chalk it up to bad luck, whatever… Pick Blitzers!!!

The “Yeah, I get to draft in the middle!” game:

Pornos vs Dillos (5^th -6^th place game)-  Interesting stat- AP is averaging more YPC (6.04) than his QB Christian Ponder is averaging in yards per pass (5.99). He also has more rushing yards than Ponder has passing yards. Bizarre. For the Dillos, the Muscle Hamster may get 30 against the Saints D. Julio has been great this year overall but does tend to disappear at times. If Roddy’s knee is flaring up, he could go nuts. Ridley gets a bad matchup but may sneak in 8 points. For the birthday boy Pornos, TB just allowed a ton of fantasy points to the Eagles last week so I expect Brees and Colston to blow up. All Day is just mind blowing right now. And he now gets the Rams… Whoa. Ryan Matthews has had 3 double digit games. ALL YEAR. That being said… Pick Pornos and Happy Birthday on behalf of the Atom Bombs!

And finally the final four:

Side note- the 2 teams that had byes last week would have been the 2 highest scorers as well as Dave would have put up 134.88 and Bob had 149.76!

Warriors vs Phinest-Now it gets real folks. Some pretty tough matchups for the defending Champ Warriors this week, with Rice getting the Broncos; the Law Firm getting the Eagles who have been surprisingly decent against the run this year allowing RB’s to less than 100 yards/ game; Stevie Johnson gets a white hot Seattle D. But isn’t isn’t all gloomy for the Warriors! AJ Green does get the Eagles “pass D”, and Detroit’s D faces the Cardinals who gave up 37 (!) points to Seattle’s D last week. Also really like Moreno this week. For the Phinest, I like Nicks and Lynch here. I also love how Andrew called Dave “D $”. That may have been a first! Heath Miller is another solid play. Steven Jackson has very quietly strung together some good games the past few weeks. I think 12-14 here. Danario Alexander also could come up huge. The Rams D should be hit or miss. AP could score 3 and ruin their day. Pick… Phinest! Dave could use this as motivation, I am only looking at matchups here.

LOD vs Topes-They are calling this the “Battle for Oreland”! Well, I am at least. So annoyed that Gar is in the final four with Brandon Lloyd being started. $%#@. Reggie Wayne has had a great year – but I think his value this week comes in garbage time against an angry Texans team. Love Alfred Morris especially if RGIII can’t go. For the Topes, not loving DeMarco Murray. I know he got a goal line TD last week, but he also averaged only 2.5 YPC. Plus the Stillers are good against the run. Vincent Jackson, Saints D. Saints D, Vincent Jackson. Remember last offseason when I said that the Eagles should sign FA Vincent Jackson and not extend DeSean?? Ummm Yeah. Tough to figure out Charles here. At first glance looks great. But last time the Chiefs played the Raiders Charles only scored 2.20 points and in 6 career games against them only 259 yards. Obviously Bob is still starting him, just something to keep an eye on. I do like Forte here a lot. Gar’s D may be the key, but how can I pick against family? Pick Topes!

Good luck gang!

Atom Bombs Week 14 2012- Playoff Week 1

Here we are, playoff week 1! Dave brought up a good point about him being the number one seed in consecutive years and posed the question if this has happened before. Now I understand that this will be less than interesting to readers not in the league, but I thought it might be fun to look back at who finished in first for years past and also where the top 3 finishers were seeded to begin with.

2001- #1 seed: Orangemen. Champ: Orangemen. 2^nd place: Rockers (#3 seed). 3^rd place: LOD (#4 seed)

2002- #1 seed: Orangemen. Champ: Orangemen. 2^nd place: LOD (#3 seed). 3^rd place: Atoms (#7 seed)

2003: #1 seed: I Heart Moe Williams. Champ: Jr Bucks (#4 seed). 2^nd place: Star Warriors (6^th seed). 3^rd place: I Heart Moe Williams

2004: #1 seed: Springfield Atoms. Champ: Atoms. 2^nd place: Rockers (#7 seed). 3^rd place: LOD (#4 seed).

2005: ESPN league- could not find old data.

2006: #1 seed: Sapornos. Champ: Star Warriors (#6 seed). 2^nd place: Sapornos. 3^rd place: Bayou Bengals (#2 seed)

2007: #1 seed: Armadillos. Champ: Sapornos (#2 seed). 2^nd place: Dillos. 3^rd place: Philly Phinest (#6 seed)

2008: #1 seed: Sapornos. Champ: Phoenix Eagles (#5 seed). 2^nd place: LOD (#2 seed). 3^rd place: Dillos (#3 seed)

2009: #1 seed: LOD. Champ: LOD. 2^nd place: Pornos (#2 seed). 3^rd place: Dillos (#4 seed)

2010: #1 seed: Phoenix Eagles. Champ: Isotopes (#2 seed). 2^nd place: Eagles. 3^rd place: Atoms (#4 seed)

2011: #1 seed: Star Warriors. Champ: Warriors. 2^nd place: Phinest (#2 seed). 3^rd place: LOD (#4 seed)

Now, what can we surmise from this? Well, the Orangemen are the only team to have back-to-back #1 seeds prior to the Warriors this year. Another interesting note is that the #1 seed has won the title 5 times in the past 9 years (again with the ESPN glitch) giving the Warriors then the obvious 55.5% chance to win it this year. Also stat I found of note is the number of times each team has finished in the top 3. Of teams that have finished in the final 3 more than once (sorry that excludes the following: Topes, Blitzers, and yes, the SPV) here is how many times we have done so: Philly Phinest- twice; Star Warriors, Pornos, Dillos, Atoms, Eagles/I Heart Moe Williams- three times each; and get this one… LOD SIX TIMES! Six times out of 9 Garwood has finished in the top 3. To quote him “I am a fantasy god”. But for reals, that is crazy good consistency. That gives Gar a 66.6% chance to finish in the top 3. OK, I think I have filled your head with enough of this for now… on to the picks! So since we still aren’t sure if the consolation bracket starts this week, I will just do the 2 games that count. Ed. Note: Just confirmed that the other bracket does in fact start this week, so I will add them first.

Cowboys vs Blitzers– Last week the Cowboys were the third highest scoring team! Now, the coveted first overall pick is on the line. Quick quiz: What team leads the NFL in sacks so far? I’ll wait while you google it… Yep, The Bengals!!! And that is who Nick’s boy Romo gets this week! Could get ugly. Run DMC is probable against the Broncos, but I wouldn’t trust him either. Love Trent Richardson against the Chefs. But Dez, Daniel Thomas both have tough matchups. For the Blitzers, gotta love any D going against the Eagles no?! Also Peyton and Spiller look like good plays. Wallace gets Big Ben back (looks like) so that should help. Gresham may not play though. Can Chalk break his 7 game losing skid? Pick Cowboys- he’s motivated!

Atoms vs SPV– Ugh. In all seriousness if I start to type about my team (Atoms) this post will get to Tolstoy-length records. So I will just say that, and leave it be. Revenge is on the SPV’s mind after the Atoms beat him down for a record setting 104.14 point loss. Again, I could go on about winning by a hundo and.. ugh. Nevermind. #$%&. So some tough matchups for the SPV with his RB’s facing the Niners and Giants. Annnd well, not much else. For the Atoms, I thought about not trying to put my best lineup in, but a few things are preventing that. One, I just can’t bring myself to tank ever. Two, fairness to the league and to Nick. And three, I want to see if I play my guys if I can at least win a hypothetical title here. So I have that going for me. That being said, Cam looks great, uber pickup Bryce Brown should still be in the mix, and yeah, Chris and Calvin Johnson should outperform. So pick the SPV. Let’s see if I can win back to back by a hundred!!!

OK, to the ones that count…

#3 seed LOD vs #6 seed Sapornos– Lloyd may actually have some semblance of relevancy this week with Edelman out. And Montell Owens? In a playoff game??? This is what gets me upset since I didn’t make it with the squad I have. Ugh. Uncannily the LOD are an underdog this week. Not sure why Alfred “Fumble” Morris is projected at under 10 points this week. Interesting. Love RGIII and Wayne this week. But I think Gar could be in trouble having to rely on Pettigrew (although without Titus Young and Broyles he is now the #2 option), and Owens. You do know it isn’t Terrell Owens right? Kind of think Dwyer is a safer bet for double digits over him but you made it so who knows?! For the Pornos, he has relied on All Day All Year. While Garwood said that the matchup comes down to his Defense (Chicago) stopping AP, it is more than that. Keep in mind that Tony’s own Big Blue face his QB and WR1 Brees and Colston. That may be where this is won or lost. Also which Ryan Matthews will show up? And can Cruz actually hang on to a few balls? Steve Smith has been ice cold despite his QB being white hot over the past 3 weeks. Vernon Davis has been invisible in 3 of the 4 CK7 games. Pick… Upset based on standings Pornos!

#4 seed Dillos vs #5 seed Phinest–  Phinest are the highest projected total for this week. For the Dillos, LOVE Demaryius Thomas this week. And side note- it’s week 14 and I STILL can’t spell his name without looking at it in Yahoo. Will Julio Jones bounce back? Last time he faced the Panthers he only posted 3.4 points… Doug Martin hasn’t scored less than 11 points since week 3. Kinda like the Givens play. For the Phinest, they are projecting Nicks at 15.99, a total he only surpassed ONCE this year. In week 2. Last time the Packers played the Lions Rodgers outscored Stafford, but only 15.74-9.84. Hmmmm…. I like Andre’s matchup against the Pats here. OK, this time Upset on the projected points side! Pick Dillos!!!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t offer the best of luck to the guy that I think should win the Heisman- Manti Te’o. But to echo his sentiments, He wants the crystal trophy more than the bronze one. As an ND fan, so do I. GO IRISH!!!

Atom Bombs Week 13 2012

So here we are. The final week before playoffs and the picture is still muddled. 4 teams battling for 3 spots. Gotta love the parity in the league! A lot to go over so for specifics I will paste Atom Bombs correspondent Nick’s post earlier this week:

PHINEST vs. LOD If Atoms beat the 1-11 Vikings, Philly Phinest could get completely knocked out the playoffs unless the Sapornos lose. LOD can get a 1st round bye with a win in that game and either Star Warriors or the Isotopes losing also. BIG GAME!

ATOMS vs. Vikings Joe has been on a tear lately! Can he get the win vs a 1-11 team and a loss by either the Pornos or Phinest and make the playoffs? Phinest would lose the tie break with Atoms because Joe has a 70 point lead in the scoring tie breaker.

Phoenix Eagles and SPVikings could play spoiler roles. Can the Eagles knock the Topes out of the bye? Can Vikings knock the Atoms out of the playoffs? The Dillos could also knock the Warriors out of a bye as well.

Lastly can the Blitzers knock the Pornos out of the playoffs. It could happen but interestingly the Pornos could miss the playoffs and be the 2nd leading scoring team this year. Also, these games have major draft implications for next year as the LOD and Cowboys both have first round bonus picks that could be impacted.

However, with the regular season nearing its end we can also see the coming end to this season’s Atom Bomb Fantasy Football posts. Fear not, there will be plenty of other posts throughout the year, but by my count there are 5 more posts left including the End of the Year wrap up. Hopefully we will end the year strong and true. So let’s just get to the picks! *All picks are based on the Atoms needs to get in the playoffs*

Warriors vs Dillos– Two top teams go head to head here. And some powerhouse players going at it here. For the Dillos Demaryius Thomas gets a TB D that is giving up 35.03ppg to WR’s- worst in the league. Jordy may have touches get diminished if Jennings plays. Both of Tom’s RB’s have tough matchups. Denver’s run D has been pretty good this year which should limit the Muscle Hamster and Miami has been equally stout against RB’s which could make for a tough go for Ridley. Side stat- You want to know how close those 2 defenses are against RB’s this year? For points allowed Denver gives up 17.15/ game while Miami is at 17.13/ game. Crazy guru’d. Julio gets a great matchup against a horrible Saints D. Lets look at this- for fantasy points allowed the Saints are dead last against QB’s and RB’s and 3^rd worst against WR’s. WOW. Double guru’d! The interesting thing here is that the Warriors of course have Matty Ice! No Gronk still so Hernandez should keep getting the looks from Tom Brady. Houston’s D while they got torched by CJ1K in week 4 still scored 19 points. For Dave, well there’s the aforementioned Matty Ice vs Saints thing. AJ Green has been a flat stud all year. That isn’t surprising, but what is – to me anyways- is that he has only had 2 under 10 point games, and a season low of 7.2. Insane consistency. Reports are that Harvin has done some work this week in practice, but if he plays, and how much is anyone’s guess. Supastar Jimmy Graham had an off game last week but I expect him to bounce back against the Falcons. Two weeks ago the Stillers held Ray Rice to 11.3 points. I think around 12 sounds about right. Moreno had a stellar game last week and looks to be used heavy again this week. If the Bengals can go up quick on the Chargers I think BJGE will be fine, if not Dave may be hoping for a goal line TD. Pick- Warriors

Topes vs Cowboys– First off, props to Nick for keeping the Cowboys moniker all season too. For those that are unaware of why the team name changed from his beloved Eagles to his most hated Cowboys I will explain. Last year when Nick was still driving the Vick bandwagon I made a bet with him. That not only would Vick NOT be MVP of the league (despite finishing #2 the prior year) he would also NOT lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl. Since my dislike of SupaFelon is well established the bet that we made was simply this: if he did either of the things that I said he couldn’t do I would get my picture with Vick for Nick to use any way he wanted- FB, etc. However if he didn’t, then Nick had to openly root for his hated rival all season. A man of his word, he has. Well done. OK so for the Topes Forte and Murray are question marks again but if anyone is used to that it’s Bob. Attaboy to the Topes actually for basically having their 1^st and 2^nd rd picks banged up so much of the season and still be in second place. Eli should do well this week as he has started to heat up and gets a Redskins D that is brutal against the pass. Brandon Marshall will have an easier time vs the Seahawks IF the 2 DB’s suspension is upheld this week. Love Leshoure against the Colts if he can play with the ankle injury. And Jamaal Charles should torch a Panthers D on short rest that just gave up 178 and 2 TD’s to Bryce Brown. Also the Gonzalez rule is start everyone against the Saints D. On the Cowboys side, great call on CK7. Looks like Harbaugh is staying with him and for fantasy that is better. Not sure what you will do now that your boy DeSean is out for the year. Maybe Dez? Down on Woodhead, but last time I was he went nuts sooooo…. I do like Witten and Welker though! Pick- LOTW Topes!

Blitzers vs Pornos– Chalk, BIG fan this week! I mean I’ve always been a huge fan of the Stache. And clearly so is Aaron Rodgers, but this week, need you buddy! I know you won’t let me down! That being said, not loving benching Brady for Peyton, or Turner against the Saints my man. Don’t forget Brady also has extra rest since he played Thursday. I think Austin is still a GTD. Love Gore especially with the Niners other RB issues. LaFell could be a sneaky good play, but he doesn’t get the Eagles crap defense this week. For the Pornos, a lot to like matchup-wise. Brees, Colston (who I think is remarkably underrated) and Cruz are all set up nicely. Matthews is what he is. AP has been nothing short of amazing all year. We all had him wrong. Can Cecil Shorts keep up this run? Or is it Cecil Shorts III now? I get confused. With CK7 in as the QB1 of San Fran, Vernon Davis’ stock does take a hit. Or at least it has so far. Pick- like I said… Blitzers upset special!!!

LOD vs Phinest– Now the 2 games with potentially the most impact. First the loves for the LOD (who, again, BIG fan!) Arian Foster should go nuts against the Titans. Like the Rashad Jennings pick up too. Last time Morris faced the Giants he went off for 120. So I expect more than the 10.31 projected. Still down on Brandon Lloyd. For the Phinest (sorry Andrew, gotta root against you man) good pickup on DeAngelo Williams with Stewart hurt. Andre Johnson struggled last time he faced the Titans, but has been on a tear lately averaging more than 34 ppg over the past 2 weeks. Blackmon also has been very good lately and has revenge going for him since the LOD dropped him earlier. Nicks should get double digit points, just not sure about 15.42. Lynch has a tough matchup against the Bears he may underperform. Pick- you know it… LOD!!!

Atoms vs SPV– The irony of my teams situation is not lost on me. Much as my beloved Irish needed help from either Baylor or Stanford in major upsets in order to get into the BCS Championship game (of which they got both!!!). The Atoms need some assistance to get into the playoffs as noted above. Great pickup by the young Jimmy with Devone Bess. Against the Patriots the last 5 times he has at least 9 points and a TD in 4/5 of those contests. Great job! I thought about picking him up but you got him first. While Michael Bush may get the start he does face a tough D in Seattle. And of course I love the ginger QB- but I’m biased. Broyles will depend on Titus Young’s status. For your resurgent Atoms the clear weakness here is at TE.Believe it or not the Browns have been good vs TE’s all year. Hoping that my man Roddy White has a huge game Thursday to make my life a tad easier, but well you know. CJ1K has a tough matchup but actually did well against the Texans last time out. Biggest question is the flex spot. Bryce Brown- well he’s hot but Rex Ryan now has some tape on him. Decker has a great matchup and Sproles looked good in the passing game. It would be nice if he and Roddy blew up Thursday but we shall see. So, as always pick SPV!

And I won’t need to say GO IRISH! This week as my team finished an uNDefeated regular season and now I have to wait 40+ days for the Championship! WOOT WOOT! Good luck gang!

Atom Bombs 2012 Week 12

It’s time to give thanks. And no I won’t do the cop out by saying “I am thankful for my family” or anything like that. Too easy. We are all thankful for those things in life, or at least we should be. It will come as no shock to anyone here that I am thankful for many things, but this year I would have to say that without question (and as a tie in- from a football perspective) I am thankful for the joy that my team- the Fighting Irish have brought me. My wife has never been able to understand why sports have always been integral to my life. Obviously playing it made a huge impact on me and helped to shape how I deal with setbacks, and achievements. But it is more than just that. Growing up in an Irish Catholic/ ultra competitive/ sports loving family, weekends began with Notre Dame football. Suffice to say it hasn’t always been easy being an Irish fan, but that is expected. What really drove it home to my wife- I believe- was watching the bond build over ND with my 10 year old son throughout the season. He has a good enough grasp on the game now and the joy of watching and cheering for our team throughout the year has been priceless. When my grandfather (who has been battling cancer for a number of years) came up to visit we watched the ND/ Cardinals game on my phone while we were out at a restaurant. It’s the moments like these that I am most grateful for and ones that I will never forget. Of course it will be great if my favorite team wins the championship for the first time since I was 14, but more than that, the experiences above added with going out to South Bend for the triple-overtime Pitt game have already made this season a success for me and I think it may have even gotten my wife to be a fan! So amongst all the normal thankful sentiments, THAT is what I have been thankful for this year. So enough of the lovey dovey… This is a critical week with only 2 more games left in the regular season we have 5 teams vying for 4 spots in the playoffs. Congrats to the Topes for joining the Warriors as playoff clinchers. This should be very interesting through the end! On to the picks!

Topes vs SPV– One of the 2 games this week with limited playoff implications as the Topes are only trying to solidify a bye week. I would say that the Topes are thankful for his WR’s which were looked at as much less than his RB’s, greatly exceeding preseason expectations and out point-producing them for the season so far. SPV? Well Jimmy, it’s your first go at fantasy football so you should be thankful that you are in this league and not one that would have destroyed your 1-10 season and maybe have lessened your desire to want to do it again. Hopefully we haven’t done that. For the Topes, Schaub is coming off of a career day last week when he tallied 40.08 points by himself which was half of what the entire SPV squad did last week. WOW. LeShoure gets the Texans D this week on Turkey Day which could be tough. Incidentally this time of year you always hear about how the Lions always play well on Thanksgiving. Here’s a stat for you- since 2000, the Lions are 2-10. Hmmm… Still like the Fountain of Youth Gonzalez this week. For the SPV I like the vengeance play of Keller against Bob. And Broyles with Young out could be good. Ummm yeah, let’s not overthink this- pick Topes.

Dillos vs Cowboys– The Dillos are thankful for stud rookie RB Doug Martin. I have a strange feeling he will be the Dillos keeper going forward! A lock to break the 200 point plateau this week too. The Cowboys, well I think he is thankful that this season is almost over! Not only for fantasy but for his 3-7 Eagles as well. Julio Jones may still be hobbled by his ankle, but have to love DeMaryius Thomas against the Chiefs. For the Cowboys, he is in a tough spot. Technically since Nick is already out, he needs the Dillos to win to try and force the Atoms out. Therefore bettering his draft position next year. But we all know that Nick would never resort to throwing the game right?! Haha! For Nick, maybe his boy Foles will be able to connect with Jackson enough against the Panthers D on Monday night. Like Welker, and Witten here. Pick- Cowboys Upset Special (desperation need pick here!)

Warriors vs Blitzers– The other matchup where only a bye can be played for. Dave is still thankful for Ray Rice. It will be very interesting to see what happens after this year with the Warriors. Blitzers are thankful that he is back in the league and having the time of his life. Seriously I am picturing Chalk and Garwood reenacting the Dirty Dancing scene with this song. And now so are you. You are welcome. Five weeks ago the Blitzers were at .500. Now they are on a 5 game skid. On the Warriors side, AJ Green is still in beast mode, like Matty Ice at home, and the aforementioned Ray Rice against SD. Harvin is a GTD so keep an eye there. For the Blitzers Fred Jackson is back- how much will that impact Spiller? I like Austin a bit here against the Skins. Gore should exceed 14.7 points vs the Saints unless he gets spelled. Pick- Warriors LOTW

LOD vs Pornos– Huge game here for both teams. The LOD are thankful that there hasn’t been much drama (yet) in this league since he is commissioner. The Pornos must still be thankful that AP fell to him at the draft. On the LOD side, Brandon Lloyd has been a non factor recently, can’t see how that would change. With 6 of the 9 roster spots going on Thursday, will Gar be happy or stressing come Friday? For the Pornos, is this the week that Steve Smith bounces back against the Eagles secondary? We’ll have to see how long Ryan Matthews can stay in the game, but if he does, he can find success against the Ravens. Can’t see any way that Vernon Davis DOESN’T get more than 10 points against the Saints. Pick- LOD!

Atoms vs Phinest– The Atoms are thankful that Chris Johnson turned around his awful start and infused a running game to my WR heavy team. The Phinest are the hottest team in the league right now winning 3 straight weeks. And for that… He is thankful since it put him squarely into the playoff hunt. For the Atoms, Some good matchups on board for Cam, Roddy, Megatron and CJ1K. The keys will be with Myers at TE, Hillman, and the Flex spot. Still not sure if it will be Bradshaw, Sproles, Decker, Amendoula. Lots of choices. For the Phinest, of course Andre Johnson my one time keeper will do great against the Lions. And I expect Marshawn and Parmele do get at least 12 each. Pick, as always… Phinest!

Good luck guys, and GO IRISH!!! BEAT SC!!!!

Atom Bombs 2012 Week 11

Well, the clock is ticking on this season. Speaking of the clock ticking, Andy Reid’s is almost up. Why? Well one reason is that it has been since week 4 since the Eagles have won. And we’re now in week 11 folks. Attaboy to the FBG’s for this stat- The Phillies have won a game more recently than the Eagles. (And they didn’t make the playoffs!) October 1^st vs the Nationals as opposed to September 30^th vs the Giants for the Eagles. WOW. So far only 1 team has clinched a playoff spot with 5 teams battling for position and to get in. Technically the Atoms are still alive, but to be honest, we are on life support right now. Let’s look at the road ahead for the contenders to see who seems the most likely to get in. Of course I am taking weekly player-specific matchups out of it in this generalized look ahead. I already break it down weekly. I am looking at the difficulty based on opposing teams records as making the matchup easy, or hard. Here they are:

The returning Champ’s quest for a bye. The final 3 opponents are LOD, Blitzers and Dillos. 2/3 are tough. With some breaks a bye should be yours.

The Topes, while they technically don’t have an asterisk yet… I’m giving him one. You’re in Bob. Now for the bye… the final 3 you get are Dillos, SPV, and Cowboys. Sorry Nick, but the Dillos are the only tough team he faces. Looking good for the Topes.

For the LOD he gets the Star Warriors, Sapornos, and Phinest. The only one to face 3 potential playoff teams. This could be tough for the LOD. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Commish’s team responds to this schedule.

The Armadillos have Topes, Cowboys and Warriors. 2/3 tough. Wondering aloud if Nick can play spoiler in the middle here. The Dillos were my preseason pick though, so if he gets in, watch out.

Sapornos face Atoms, LOD, and the Blitzers. Now it depends on how you view the Atoms. Yes they are 4-6, but barely lost to the top team. So I will say the Blitzers are the only truly easy team here. But if you want to put the Atoms in there either honestly or just to pile on, that is fine as well!

The Phinest get SPV, Atoms, and LOD. Sort of the opposite of the Pornos as the SPV is their only real weak matchup.

Now for the barely alive Atoms. Basically I have to win out now after losing because of stupid Matt Cassel. I get the Pornos, Phinest, and if by some miracle I can win those I get SPV in the final week.

So there we have it. How will it shake out? Who really knows yet – injuries, etc can all play a part in this but it should be fun down the stretch! Now onto the picks!

Warriors vs LOD– First off, congrats to Dave for being the first one to clinch a playoff spot. By .34 points. Against me. Because Matt Cassel is a horrendous QB and the MNF game went into OT. Yes, I am still bitter about this. Will Dave seize the momentum after his heart attack inducing win, or will Gar capitalize on seeing Dave’s vulnerability? On the LOD side, I love the RGIII and Alfred Morris plays against the Eagles. Also, Marcel Reece should do well against the Saints since everyone else does. Gotta  love the Gronk against the Colts but I don’t see Brandon Lloyd getting double digits in the same game. Kinda like Gar’s Falcons D this week too. For the Warriors his soon to be former keeper has been strangely TD dependant this year for a guy that’s been a yardage machine up until now. Ray Rice actually has fewer rushing yards than Willis McGahee and hasn’t broken the 100 yard mark for rushing since week 5. Last week he did get close though, and of course he’s a must start every week no matter what, just saying that it’s interesting when you look deeper into his numbers. Speaking of Rice, he gets the Stillers this week that is 3^rd against RB’s in fewest fantasy points allowed. SupaStar Jimmy Graham had a huuuuge game last week and should do very well again against the Raiders. The Law Firm has only had 1 double digit performance since week 2. But he does get a decent matchup so he may get close to 10 points. AJ Green is a beast and 17 points may be low for his projection. Well, I need to gain in the standings so Upset Special Pick Warriors!

Topes vs Dillos– For the Topes I feel bad for Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs seem to have no clue at all what to do with him and its wasting his talents. He has a pretty favorable schedule down the stretch, so if they can keep getting him the ball, he could be a monster in the playoffs. Forte and Marshall will be interesting on Monday night with Cutler out and Jason Campbell in against the Niners D. That could make or break this game. Vincent Jackson has another good matchup against Carolina so he should good for 14-17 points. Like Gonzalez’ matchup also so he should be able to keep it rolling. Hard to figure out what LeShoure will do. The Lions shouldn’t be up huge against the Packers but he still may get to punch one in at least. On the Dillos side Stafford seems to play well against the Packers so watch this and the Topes LeShoure closely. Love Demariyus Thomas and Doug Martin this week too. Ridley has a tough schedule coming up, but you have to like him getting the Colts D this week. Just a question of if Belichek does also! Julio Jones is now a game time decision so keep an eye on this. Dammit, I need the Topes to win but I have to make the Dillos the LOTW!

Phinest vs SPV– For the SPV it’s amazing how his whole starting roster RB’s and WR’s are 2nd tier guys. Reggie Bush is losing touches to Thomas, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore and Maclin. All of them are basically the 2^nd options on their teams at their respective positions. Weird. Hey, at least I like the Cincy D and the Ginger QB vs the Chiefs! But I am biased of course on that with Dalton. Haha! We have to stick together! On the Phinest side, Denarius Moore looks to be in good shape against the Saints. And actually the only 2 guys on his roster that I can see struggling are Chris Ivory (lack of touches) and Rashad Jennings  getting a tough D in Houston. Arrrrgggghhhh, I need Jimmy to win here, but I just can’t do it! Pick Phinest (grudgingly).

Blitzers vs Cowboys– The quest for the #1 pick continues! I like Spiller for the Blitzers despite the matchup against Miami. Mainly there is no one to take away touches right now. Austin may get lucky and if Haden takes Dez away he could find some success. Brady should destroy the Colts, but how much of his numbers will be taken away by Nick having Welker? Mike Wallace now gets to have Leftwich throw him the ball. Not good. Raise your hand if you thought that at this point Larry Fitzgerald would have .10 points more than teammate Andre Roberts. Bizarre. On the Cowboys side of the ball, I’m torn on the Foles play for fantasy right now. I think he’ll do ok, and the Redskins can be thrown on, but in his first start you’d have to assume some picks as well. Maybe not as many as his predecessor is known to throw, but that’s Mike Pick for you! I like Trent Richardson against the Cowboys, and Witten on the other side of that. Can Woodhead capitalize on last week’s game? Hell if I know. Pick Cowboys double upset special!

Atoms vs Sapornos-For the Atoms, desperation play made on Daniel Thomas. But given the matchup and bye week issues it may pan out. Hopefully Megatron maintains his dominance against GB. The main issue for this team has been in the flex spot. With Decker, Hartline, and Amendoula (the Holy Trinity of Caucasian WR’s) it has been hit or miss as to which one will go off on a weekly basis. In any event it’s do or die this week. Block buster deal just days ago as the Pornos added preseason hype boy Ryan Matthews! Well the matchup against the Broncos isn’t that great this week even if he plays. And it’s a big IF by the way. Having AP on a bye is a huge help, but the tandem of Brees/ Colston against the Raiders could more than make up for that. Mike Williams should stay hot against the Panthers also. Pick as usual goes to my opponent- Pornos!

Good luck and of course GO IRISH!!!

Atom Bombs 2012 Week 10

First off, I need to apologize for the bye week last week. Due to power outages from the SuperStorm Sandy, and then leaving for South Bend to see first round draft pick next year Manti Te’o and my undefeated Irish in an incredible game, I simply did not have any time at all to get this done. Incidentally I feel truly lucky to have been able to see Te’o play live every year he has been at ND. Hopefully there won’t be any cataclysmic weather events while I write this that would preclude me from posting. It was however very nice to hear from a lot of people that missed the write up both in our league and elsewhere. Always good to see that this is missed if it doesn’t get sent out. Ok, that was needed, but now let’s get back to the football…

So here we are. The election is over and if you voted Democrat congrats, and if you voted Republican, just hope that the Mayans are right! Really the only ones that truly lost this past Tuesday are those that voted for Libertarian or Green Party. Only 4 more weeks of the regular season to go before playoffs start, some teams are jockeying for position, and others fighting their way to get in.

SPV vs Pornos– SPV’s team is so train-wreckingly bad that it may get spun off into a show on TLC! Ahhh, remember the good old days when we used to shun societies freaks of nature? Now, we just give them a reality show! Well done TLC, well done. SPV coming off of a brutal week where he inexplicably benched SupaFelon despite the matchup against the worst defense in the NFL needs to get a win. Since his only win so far came in week 1. And while starting Vick would not have gotten Jimmy a win, he at least would have scored 6 more points. Hey, when your team is 1-7 you need to hang onto whatever you can! Incidentally, who did Jimmy get his lone win against??? You guessed it- The Sapornos! Will it be a revenge situation for Captain Cannoli or will Jimmy be able to talk non-stop smack that he beat Tony for his ONLY 2 wins???!!! (assuming Jimmy loses out of course, but we’re all pulling for you! Except in week 13…ahem, ahem…) Love Titus Young this week. Quick stat- #2 WR’s have scored 4 TD’s in the past 3 games against the Vikings. Interesting. This week, don’t especially like either Vick or Flacco though. Reggie Bush should do well against a baaaad Titans D. (I kind of wish they were the Tennessee Sheep, that would have been much funnier then.) So I said all I can say about the jimmy’s team. For the Pornos, they look to be dependent on 2 players. Now when those 2 are Brees and AP he should do fine. Cruz should get right around 10-11 points but Andre Brown’s worth is largely up to Bradshaw’s status. Let’s not get cute here, pick Pornos.

Topes vs Phinest– Topes come into this week with the easiest schedule faced so far. In fact Bob has faced an average of 15.84 points per game fewer than the team with the hardest schedule the Blitzers. On the Phinest side, Torrey Smith now gets the Oakland D that was gashed by the TB run game last week. I just don’t see them throwing that much. Despite the tough matchup, I think Andre Johnson does well here against the Bears. 99% of the time my picks are based on stats- this one is a gut call. Like Carson Palmer with their run game banged up right now. Of course Rashard Jennings against the Colts, and Marshawn Lynch vs anybody are good matchups. For the Topes I think Vincent Jackson has a strong game against his old team. Down on Jamaal Charles. Forte has a tough one against the Texans but should do fine. Have to love Gonzalez (or anyone really) against the Saints! Hopefully the Phinest will pick up a defense. If they do, I am making the Phinest the upset special!

Ohio Undecided Slider Dillos vs Blitzers– Still puzzled how Vincent Brown is not on the Blitzers IR slot. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but Chalk is still burning a roster spot. Makes my head hurt thinking about these things. Anyways Doug Martin coming off of a record setting performance last week but get this- over the past 4 weeks he has scored 126.2 points. That’s AVERAGING 31.55 ppg! @#$%!!!! Now the Chargers have been good against RB’s over the past 5 weeks, but he’s clearly not being benched. He won’t get 31 points most likely but still… Have to love the WR combo matchups for the Dillos. Both Demaryius Thomas and Julio have stellar ones, but will they get enough or will their counterparts steal the thunder. (since I have both Roddy and Eric Decker you know who I am rooting for!)Your guess is as good as mine on Ridley. For the Blitzers, I actually do like Michael turner this week! Wallace should do well too. If the Eagles secondary decides that they aren’t actually allergic to tackling, they may be able to limit Miles Austin. I think Gore goes over the 14 proj points. Primarily based on the lack of the IR thing and that I just drove across their state, pick Ohio!

LOD vs Cowboys– If the Philadelphia Eagles lose their 5^th straight game, Nick may very well go on a murder spree. What will Nick do this week though? He will not play guys against his Eagles, but with Romo as his only QB and Witten as the only playable TE (Finley is on a bye) the question looms… WWND? I know he is flying in for the game this Sunday so I hope the Iggles snap their losing streak just for you man. For the LOD I actually like Brandon Lloyd a bit. Have to like Reggie Wayne too. Foster should get around 15, but over 17 against the Bears D is tough. Malcolm Floyd may be a sneaky good play. On the Cowboys side Woodhead seems like a reach. So many question marks. DeSean has shown to be what I thought so you’re either getting 18 or 4 from him. Who knows. Rice may have Cromartie covering him and if that happens he should be limited. And possibly pregnant after the game. Like Welker. Again though tough to see how this plays out on Thursday with the lineup questions. It’s been a month since the Cowboys have exceeded projections. So based on that, LOD is the LOTW!

Atoms vs Warriors– Going for the homerun here in benching Bradshaw for Ballard. The matchup against the Jags is just too good to pass up and Bradshaw has cooled off lately. Past 2 weeks combined for about 10 points. On the Warriors side, awesome- the Raiders allowed 251 rushing yards and 3 rushing TD’s of over 45 yards last week. And of course Dave has Ray Rice going against them this week. Ugh. He may outscore Jimmy’s team by himself. The Law Firm has not gone over 70 total yards in his past 4 games. Will he get a goal-line TD? Maybe, that’s what Dave is hoping for. Hoping that Stevie Johnson has a similar game as he did in week 2 against the Pats (2 catches for 23 yards). Matty Ice gets the Saints D so for my sake I’m hoping that Roddy White counteracts that. For the Atoms, Megatron has been great for yardage but only 1 score. Looking into it, he has actually been stopped something crazy like 5 times within the 4 yard line and twice at the 1. I always say that predicting touchdowns is flukey at best. That kind of sums it up. The Atoms TE’s are in a pinch. At this point I am hoping for 5 points from either Cook or Rudy. Decker has been a beast lately, the TD streak will end at some point, let’s hope not just yet! As always pick Warriors!

And of course GO IRISH! Beat BC!

Notre Dame/ Pittsburgh Game recap (heart attack special)

The Magical Season Continues…

 

It will be hard to put into words how the Notre Dame – Pittsburgh game felt to me but I will try. Undefeated, at home, with a BCS berth on the line and coming off of a signature win in Norman, OK to say that I went through a roller coaster of emotions on Saturday at the game would be an understatement. As a lifelong Irish fan I still get chills and excited when Mike Collins yells “Here come the Irish!!!” as the team runs on the field. And while I am biased (clearly) towards the Irish, many of us thought that after the huge win in OK the week before that a letdown may occur. It almost happened and honestly, you have to give the 17 point underdog Panthers a lot of credit for not only hanging in there, but almost winning the game. Despite have their 3 biggest playmakers in the game despite pending legal issues. http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121103/SPORTS0302/311039960/1085/SPORTS03 But that is a separate story. Back to Saturday’s game: The Irish have had their share of close games so far this season (Michigan, Michigan St, Purdue, BYU, and Stanford- that’s 5 of the 8 prior wins so yeah, Irish fans are used to these games) but so far have continually found a way to win. That would not have been the case the past few seasons. Coach Kelly has formed this team into what they are now: battle tested and tough minded. A lot has been said about the “luck of the Irish” being involved here. Yes, it’s a catchy media buzz worthy phrase, but not accurate. Truth be told, if it were luck then Kyle Brindza wouldn’t have missed an extra point, Theo Riddick’s early TD run wouldn’t have been overturned, nor would Cierre Wood have fumbled into the end-zone in OT. Luck wasn’t involved here folks, just a tested team that responded the way that contenders need to respond. Bottom line, and I want to keep this as concise as possible is that Notre Dame found a way to win. Did I almost have yet another Irish-induced heart attack? Yes. Will it happen again? Almost certainly. So don’t lose faith- this defense will give Notre Dame a chance to win in every game. Especially with #5 Manti Te’o leading this unit. Go Irish!! And remember:

Adversity reveals character. And that was never more pronounced than it was Saturday night in South Bend, IN.

Atom Bombs Week 8 Post

In 8 more short weeks we will have crowned the 2012 Champion. Hard to believe. Unless of course the Mayans have it right, in which case Week 15 would be the final week… for eternity!!! *cue dramatic music here* But I don’t believe in any of that. Will the world end? No. Will an “event” happen? Hmmm, that seems to be the “out” for the crackpots. There are meteorological “events” all the time. Could there be one December 21^st, 2012? Sure. Hell, they are calling for a “Frankenstorm” in the Northeast (US for the International readers) next week! http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/nation/2012/10/25/noaa-to-east-beware-of-coming-frankenstorm/1658019/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-NewsTopStories+%28News+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo So yeah, these things can and do happen. Getting something like this, or anything like it will not justify the lunacy. Why do I bring this up in a fantasy football write up? Good question! Because it leads in to this: The twitter story of the Madden Curse. Which, if you hadn’t guessed already is something else I do not give credence to. In the preseason, when the Madden ‘13 Cover was about to be announced (between Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, and Cam Newton) a highly respected NFL analyst said on the Twitter that if Calvin Johnson wins the cover he wouldn’t draft him. I felt the urge to respond, and respectfully told him that he was crazy. Also mentioning that as an employee of the NFL to give any truth to a “curse” is ridiculous and unprofessional. The Madden Curse is a fun debate to have at a bar, but under no circumstances should an “expert” say those things. Here’s the thing, football is a collision sport as we are all constantly reminded of. If there were a “curse” then by definition only the cover winning athletes would suffer injuries. And yet… players get hurt all the time! Even, shockingly enough- non Madden Cover athletes! WHAAATTTT???!!! Of course I mentioned that to him as well. To which he replied about “down years” statistically for those that didn’t get injured. So I simply laid it out this way: The reason that guys get the vaunted cover, is because they usually have crazy good years the season before. So from a statistics standpoint, it is incredibly difficult in the NFL to duplicate, or even better, a season that is SO good that you get the video game cover. Take any player that way overachieves one year and see how they did the next season (even non Madden guys). I’ll wait……………… Yep, they probably went down in numbers. It happens. All. The. Time. That is the nature of pro football kids. So have fun with the “Curse” debate with your buddies, but remember, it isn’t real. And yes, I purposefully left the analysts name out. I don’t care for getting sued up in this piece! Onto the picks!

 

Topes vs Pornos– The Pornos are coming off of a major win against the defending champs last week where he scored the Biggest Blowout award. Ironically this week he gets the Topes who squeeked by the LOD – beating him by a mere .66! This because of a meaningless TD scored with 30 seconds to go cost the LOD 6 points and the win! HAHA! On the Pornos side, I don’t like Shonn Greene that much this week. Miami’s run D is 9^th against opposing RB’s this year. I love the interesting matchup when one guy has the QB and his opponent has a WR on the same team. Lots of points cancelling each other out with Eli and Cruz here. Over the past 3 weeks Colston has been a stud. Might have something to do with his QB? HAHA! Anyways, I expect him to exceed the 12.57 this week.  Might be too gutsy of a call, but I kind of like Denarius Moore over Dwayne Bowe here. For the Topes: Wow, now Jennings is going under the knife for groin surgery and “hopes” to be back by the end of the year. Been a brutal season for him so far. I think that Eli gets to under 15 points this week. Last time he faced Dallas in Week 1, they held him to 12.52. Gotta love the Bear Pair (TM pending yo) of Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte against a suspect Panthers D. – Sorry Seanny Mac! With injuries to Murray and the aforementioned Jennings and byes, Bob’s lineup is set by itself. Keep an eye on Gonzalez, the Eagles are 9^th vs TE’s so far. Right off the bat—BOOM!! Upset special- pick Topes!

LOD vs Blitzers-RGIII I think will get close, but fall just short of the 20 points. Still pretty dang good though. Brandon Lloyd is woefully disappointing so far. He’s gotta get something going against the Rams right? Just keep in mind that for him and Gronk, and Brady they play in London so weather could be a factor. A few tough matchups for Alfred Morris and Malcolm Floyd but I think Morris gets double digits. For the Blitzers Fitz may do well despite the matchup due to being down quickly. Love Wallace’s matchup against the Redskins, but can he hold onto the ball? This one may come down to if the Eagles can stop Turner. Another gutsy call may be to play Peyton against a bad Saints D instead of Brady. Interesting but sad stat 1- The Blitzers have 2 players on IR, however he is not using the IR slot to pick up a free player. Interesting but sad stat 2- the Blitzers have not met their projected total for the past 3 straight weeks. Just because I really want to see it happen… pick Blitzers!

Warriors vs Phinest– For the Warriors Matty Ice coming off a bye. Uh Oh. But it is outdoors and we are expecting crappy weather Sunday so that could play into it. Gotta stay with the hot Percy Harvin dude is playing great. I’m gonna split on the Jones’. Like James, not so much on Felix. Wow, who knew Felix Jones would have gotten hurt again as he got the feature back role? Oh yeah, everyone!  Also down on Alex Green despite the matchup. He hasn’t done anything with the opportunity that he’s been given. Averaging only about 7 points/game. But if he’s going to breakout, might be against the awful Jags run D. SupaStar Jimmy Graham looks like he is good to go. For the Phinest Nicks is getting healthy which could be trouble unless Cruz gets all the targets. Good pickup to snag Jennings over Garwood who has MJD. I like the matchup here. Also LOVE Beast Mode Lynch against the Lions. Can’t see him getting less than 15. Heath Miller has gotten some of the rejuvenation juice that Gonzalez has had recently. Risky running the 2 TE set but I like keeping Steven Jackson on the bench for meow. I kind of want to pick Dave to give the jinx here, but screw it- LOTW Phinest!

SPV vs Cowboys-I am going to be nice and not pile on either team here. Both teams know they have had a rough time so far. For SPV I like um well, Vick and Maclin a bit. And Britt too. Still down on the Bushes (Michael and Reggie). Bennett may have a good game this week, he did against Dallas last time out- 11.60 points. For the Cowboys I do like McFadden this week. His blocking has been horrific but it is against the Chefs. I think Ryan Matthews gets right around that 15 point mark, and Welker gets about 14. Uber rookie Richardson is banged up again and while the team said they may shut him down until after the bye, he is saying no. How much he’s used though? Therein lies the issue. We may be seeing this matchup again in week 15 folks. Pick? I guess Nick. But it’ll be funny to see what Vick does against his most ardent supporter! (I expect him to do well, as I have always said- Vick is a very good fantasy QB, just not for real football)

Atoms vs Dillos– For your Dillos Martin gets the tough Vikings run D so he should be kept in check. Cutler has been erratic and it remains to be seen about the rib injury after Suh slammed him to the ground (totally legal and great play BTW). Like Thomas a lot against the Saints, I may still play Decker this week too. If I do this matchup will feature White/ Julio and Thomas/ Decker. Interesting. Good luck figuring Ridley out. Atlanta is giving up 21.10 ppg to RB’s so far so I expect Shady McCoy to do well. For the Atoms my lineup is not set yet. Bradshaw didn’t practice Thursday (today) so I may have to switch things around. Fortunately the defending champion and class of the NFC East Giants play at 1 EST so I can make changes early. I don’t like having to play Cam against the tough Bears Defense, but what can you do? Experts have renamed this battle “The Great Swamp Shootout!” – Sorry, I really watch waaaay too much college football. As always, pick Dillos!

 

Good luck gang… and GO IRISH!!! BIG game this week against the Sooners. Need the D to stay top level baby!

Atom Bombs Week 7 2012

I am in a sort of random mood as I write this, so I thought I would just do the lead in with some various thoughts. Hope you enjoy…

-In case you haven’t seen the commercial yet, check this out… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-VGKSZEJ8 Awesome.

– One of my favorite “obscure” shows is Drinking Made easy. Absolutely love it. It’s on AXS TV Network if you want to check it out. Don’t know the day or time though since I DVR everything except sports. Sorry, look it up. But on their website today they had the following link: http://drinkingmadeeasy.com/booze-in-the-news/new-strongest-beer-in-the-world/ a 65% ABV beer???!!! WHAT?! Just as a comparison most beers will average about 4-5%. Freaking crazy!

– How do you know that the Fighting Irish have returned to relevancy? I mean besides all of my ranting and hype I mean? When the star player is getting tweeted by famous people of course. So the man for the Irish is unquestionably Manti Te’o. Put simply he is a beast and by all accounts a genuinely great, nice guy. All Irish fans love him, myself of course included. Here is his profile message (@mteo_5): Life is a storm.. “You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.” Powerful. After that, he gets love form former Phillies/ current Dodgers OF Shane Victorino- not surprising since both are from HI; Matt Kemp; and (this one is for Dave and any readers that are under 13 that still watch Wrestling) John Cena. Impressive. Also, if you are so inclined I am @gingerdad1. Just sayin’.

– Also relatively well known is my love for Road House. So this was awesome to read: http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/59908/bill-murray-likes-to-call-kelly-lynchs-husband-every-time-he-sees-patrick-swayze-having-sex-with-her-in-road-house Seriously. This may be the funniest thing EVER.

– It kind of makes me sad that some things that used to be cool are now viewed differently. Example: Trench coats used to mean that you were a kick ass detective. Now? You’re probably a diddler.

– Some random things that I just don’t get: 1.The Pippa over Kate Middleton thing? Really? Royal sibling butterface yo. 2. Springsteen. I know this will most likely get some people upset as music is subjective, but dude, I get it- you’re from Jersey and despite being a multi-millionaire you try to relate to the common people. But to me it’s been the same song over the past 30 years. 3. People that talk on their cell phones in the bathroom. Seriously you aren’t THAT important my man, hang up and call back. 4. Seeded Grapes. I know even for this post that seems random, but who the hell still buys seeded grapes? How have we not completely evolved away yet? 5. Non Alcoholic Beer. I get decaf coffee because you may really enjoy the taste but just don’t want the caffeine. But N/A beer? Tastes awful. Don’t get it.

– One more thing about my Fighting Irish. This is just yet another example on why I love this team. Trick shot Monday has been going on for 2 years now. This is Trick Shot Monday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXz1gR6RIO4 .

– I know he isn’t great for fantasy, but as a rookie, Russell Wilson has beaten Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Cam Newton and Tom Brady. So far… Very impressive.

OK, enough of these shenanigans. I think I have tried to curb my tangents in prior posts, but I had to9 get these out.

 

LOD vs Topes: Well, for starters I sure hope that the Topes get Manningham out of his lineup since the Giants have him out of theirs. *Ed. note, I had this written before the game started and I just now see that he kept him in. Come on Bob!* A good thing for the Topes is that Marshall should get more looks now that their WR corps is thin. I am down on LeShoure this week though. Vincent Jackson has been on a good little streak here, keep riding him while you can- Settle down Covello, not in that way… Only hiccup is that all of his bad weeks have been on odd ones. Weeks 1, 3, and 5 (5 was a bye) have all been awful. For the LOD Wayne may struggle with Haden back but 11.5 seems reasonable. Chicago’s Defense has been white hot, but double digits against the Lions may be tough. At least they are at home. I was big on Brandon Lloyd in the preseason, but he just hasn’t put it together yet. I think Morris goes over 12 points this week. Pick LOD

Warriors vs Pornos: Not really going out on a limb here by saying that Greene had a career game last week that won’t be duplicated, but I think he struggles to get to 6 points. AP still complaining about ankle, looks like he may be limited. That is good news for Harvin. AJ Green’s stock gets better with all the injuries to the Stillers Def. Despite the Stillers losing guys like crazy, BJGE has been bah-rutal since week 2. Graham may not go, that could be huuuge here. Jackson is set to split carries with Spiller, so your guess is as good as mine! Anywho… Pick Warriors

Dillos vs SPV: For the SPV- maybe don’t guarantee a victory, even if the Blitzers are the opponent! I think that Britt is about due for a great game. With only 2 guys projected as double digit guys, this is an uphill battle.Sheesh, can’t really say much nice here. Soooo for the Dillos I am working on the assumption that the Dillos get their roster filled here. I am guessing he goes 2 TE set with Hernandez, bumps Martin to RB, adds Nelson, And sprinkles in a dash of Kendall Wright. But I don’t know.  As long as they do, they are the LOTW!

Cowboys vs Phinest: I expect Lynch to struggle a bit and the Niners D to get back into form. Could be a good day wfor Andre Johnson with the injury to Ravens CB Webb. Good pickup and spot start for Felix Jones. I would have done the same but with injuries and byes I needed WR help instead. Can Dez put together back to back to back great games??? He just may… Welker should do fine this week too. I am down on Finley here, but LOVE McFadden this week. Richardson should play, but the ribs may limit him. Cowboys are my Upset special! Yee Haw!

Atoms vs Blitzers: I think Gore gets right around 10 points, the Seattle D while better at home, is still pretty legit. HAHA, as I type that I realize that I didn’t start them. Ugh. I got too caught up in this. Oh well. Spiller I also think underperforms a bit, not because of talent, but opportunity with the time share. Always dangerous to start a defense against the Packers. But as I have always said, Chalk is a dangerous man. OK, maybe that was the first time I have said that, but still… Of course I fully expect Gresham to screw me over since I dropped him earlier. I may get Nick’d on that. For your hometown Atoms, Welcome back Cam! Need a big game from him this week! Kerley was a desperation pick, but I had no other WR’s after byes and injuries as I mentioned. Sproles is coming off of the bye, and maybe, just maybe CJ1K will do well when I actually have him in the lineup?! Bradshaw should stay hot with a good matchup, but he is nursing a sore foot. I don’t think he quite gets to the 16 pts. As always, pick Blitzers!

Good luck gang… and GO IRISH!!!