Last Place Wisdom: I'll take an English Muffin too

 When I started writing this blog series, and decided to include Arrested Development references, it seemed like a no brainer. There were dozens of quotes floating around in my head (DOZENS!), and I had no problem pulling them out. After 7 weeks and 8 posts however, I’ve hit a bit of a dry spell. I’m sure I will be able to turn it around, but for this week my brain isn’t able to connect AD with fantasy football in any meaningful way. Instead, enjoy casual racism against the Japanese and the best Godzilla impersonations you will ever hear.

I won a shootout against Stan this week. My compulsive need to hoard RBs paid off, as all 3 or my RB starters had solid games, to go along with solid games from Stafford and Gronkowski in his return. Stan had a very good week himself, and would have won against most teams, and he should remain dangerous going forward given he is starting Megatron and Aaron Rodgers.

Curtis lost a bit of a crushing game to Mike, as 11 points from Victor Cruz is more than attainable many weeks. The horribleness that was the Giants-Vikings brought everyone down however, as there was really no one at all you wanted to start from that game. What that loss did was really bunch things up in the middle of the standings, as Mike, Curtis and Dawson are now all tied for the 6^th and final playoff spot.

 Going forward, it will be interesting to see if one of these teams can go on a run and help improve their chances at making the playoffs. I wouldn’t be totally surprised to see one of these teams go off an make a trade to help them now, given that once you make the playoffs anything can happen.

Mr.Manager of the Week Award

After calling my shot on last week’s podcast and predicting that my team would finish the regular season in first place in the league, you might think that I’m getting cocky, and that I should worry about the fantasy karma that will be coming to put me in my place. Despite my fear, I don’t really see any other option than to give myself the award this week. I could have been satisfied with New England’s D/ST going up against the Jets (they put up a respectable 13 points), but I’ve thought Carolina’s D/ST has been underrated all year, so given the opportunity to pick them up it was a no brainer. It was also the difference between winning or losing for me, so my gut call really paid off.

Waiver Wire

After last week’s cornucopia of waiver wire riches, this week is rather lacking. Anyone needing a Tight End (Curtis) might want to pick up Jordan Reed, who put up a great game and has been getting targets for weeks. John should also take the opportunity to pick up Harry Douglas, given his attraction to Atlanta Wide Receivers and the monster game Douglas put up as the only healthy guy on the roster. Chris Ivory had a big game for the Jets, and is the only RB who might be worth picking up at this point.

Injuries

It might not be a good week for the waiver wire, but it was an incredible week for injuries. Doug Martin, Arian Foster, Reggie Wayne, Jermichael Finely, Sam Bradford and Nick Foles all suffered injuries of various forms, and might end up missing time. Bradford is done for the year, so Mike will need to look at picking up another QB or two, while Jermichael is in the ICU, so Curt shouldn’t expect him back any time soon.  Reports are the Martin might be done for the year as well, which hurts Dawson big time.

Random Thoughts

It’s as close to the midway point of the regular season as we can really get, so here are some midseason awards.

MVP – Peyton Manning  & Jamaal Charles. These 2 guys offer sizeable advantages at their positions so far, and if they stay healthy will be in the running for MVP at the end of the season. Honourable mention to Jimmy Graham.

Best Draft Bargain – Knowshon Moreno & Fred Jackson. These guys have been top 10 running backs and were taken in the 10^th round or later. Who knows if they can keep it up all season, but they have paid off big time so far. Honourable mentions to Dany Woodhead, Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron.

Biggest Disappointment – CJ Spiller and Ray Rice. None of the first round disappointments have been quite as bad as these 2. They still have the talent to turn it around, but have been a big part of the reason John and Curt has been struggling to score points so far. Dishonourable mentions to MJD, T.Rich, Steven Jackson, Tom Brady and David Wilson.

Top Rookie – Giovanni Bernard. One of John’s few bright spots, Gio Bernard has been fantastic. Things are only looking up from here on out. Honourable mention to Eddie Lacy.

2^nd half Players to Watch – Percy Harvin and Stevan Ridley. These 2 guys could have a big impact on the latter half of the season. Ridley has put up 2 games in a row looking like the 2^nd round pick he was, while Harvin gives Andrew another potential star WR to go along with his already strong roster.

Comeback Player of the Year – DeSean Jackson. After a horrible year last year, Jackson has been one of the best to start the year off. He should be able to keep it up as long as Philly can find a healthy QB to throw him the ball. Honourable mentions to Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates.

Bold Predictions for the 2^nd Half – I already stated that I finish the year with the best record, and I stand by that after this week. My other bold prediction is that Aaron comes back to squeak into the last playoff spot. Mike, Dawson and Curtis’s teams are banged up, and Aaron plays each of them again this year. If he can sweep those games, and win one upset against Shayne, Steve or Stan, he has a shot at making it.

Week 3 Preview

Sexy Sacks Men vs oh that’s nasty – Dawson’s team revolves around his WR’s and the Chief’s D/ST, as everyone else has been inconsistent. Losing Martin hurts Dawson big time, as is turns Le’Veon Bell into his top RB. My team is rolling at this point, but will be without my top WR as Marshall is on bye.

Sideliners vs The Fear Boners – At this point, John might be wanting to live vicariously through the 2^nd team he drafted. Things are looking up for Steve, while John has another tough matchup. Both of his QBs are off on bye weeks, and 4-5 starters will be out. At this point, playing backups might not be any worse of a plan.

The Crimson Tide vs NINERS  – Another big Altus Geomatics Office game. A win for Aaron would go a long way towards making the playoffs, while Stan needs a win to keep pace with the league leaders. Aaron might be in the difficult position of cheering against his 49ers, as a blowout against Jacksonville would hurt him badly this week.

What are the Chances vs NFL Owner – Curtis has struggled this year, while Shayne is coming off a 2 game losing streak. Things might be looking up for Curtis if Ben Tate ends up starting in place of an injured Arian Foster after their byes, or if Steven Jackson can come back, although neither seems likely

Andrew’s Team vs BISP – Mike could be in trouble, as Reggie Wayne, Arian Foster and Torrey Smith will all miss this week and possibly more, while Bilal Powell might be losing touches to Chris Ivory and Deangelo Williams will have to contend with Mike Tolbert and a healthy Jonathan Stewart one of these days. Andrew will need to find another RB to start in place of Forte and Mathews, which gives Mike some hope.

On the next Last Place Wisdom:

I recap Week 8, where Fantasy Karma comes back to bite me in the ass.

I tie Arrested Development back into football, rather than just posting random clips I enjoy.

Aaron is unsure whether his tears taste happy or sad, after the Jaguars shock the 49ers.