Week 12

This week I began to realize that not wining wasn’t so bad. With last weeks lost, I was no longer number 2 in the league. Having dropped to 3, I began to look seriously at the teams I might face in the playoffs and a strategy started to form. If I remained at the number 2 or 3 spot, I would go up against the team in either 2 or 3, which meant I would have to face a team in the playoffs that was starting to look to me like the best team in the league. This guy was consistently averaging 80-90 points, which I just couldn’t see my team being able to match. So what could I do?

I realized that if I dropped to the fourth spot, I would be matched up in the play offs against the all NE team, which had begun to struggle racking up points as NE struggled with the perfect season. While the Patriots still won, they just didn’t have the momentum to do it so spectacularly anymore, which was hurting the all NE teams point accrual. In fact, he was barely averaging 60-70 points each week and had begun to lose his match ups. Still, he couldn’t lose enough games to not remain in first place. No one in the league was even close to him. Such being the case, it was sorta in my own interest to lose enough games in the up coming weeks so that I would be the fourth place team. Of course, what I was thinking about doing was seriously risky. I could just as easily lose myself right out of the play offs. And worse, especially with so many discussions of cheating going on in professional sports, was what I was thinking about doing ethical? I mean, should I really throw games?

In terms of this week’s match up, I decided at the last minute not to practice my new strategy. I hate to lose, and couldn’t bring myself to actually do it intentionally. So I set my line up at the best projected numbers I could muster. I picked up Ron Dayne at RB, dropping Rudi Johnson. In this end, this move proved premature. Dayne was supposed to have a big week, but didn’t play much do to injury; while Johnson had his only good game of the year. The same thing would happen to me next week with Rivers. I dropped him late Sunday night when Jay Cutler hit the waiver wire, only to see him put up his best numbers of the season in the last few weeks. Clearly, people in my league should immediately pick up any player I drop as they should reward them solidly.

While I was projected to get 82 points, such would not be the case this week. In fact, I wouldn’t even get 60 points. Five of my spots gave me little to no points this week: including Housh, Portis, and my kicker Graham. The always reliable SD also underplayed this week. The only bright spots came from Schaub, Addai, and Clark. Otherwise, it looked like my plan to lose future games went into practice without my consent, as for the second strait week in a row I was a loser. I am now 7-5, and it really doesn’t look like I have any options to change this slide into oblivion. Strangely, I am still 3^rd in the standings, since the 4^th place team lost as well.

Looking at my line up, there really wasn’t anything I could do differently. Morris had a slow week, getting only 4+ points, and my platoon of WR just plain sucked. Harrison was still on the bench. I was simply at a loss what to do about my team. Then I checked my stats about 4:30 and saw something I could not believe. Jay Cutler had been cut from a team in my league. I immediately exchanged my worst QB for Cutler, yes Rivers I am talking about you (ya loser). As I already stated, Rivers would pay me back by having a spectacular end to the season. I also decided to cut Rudi Johnson this week to pick up Henry, who had an awesome week prior to this and I though could help me this week—which you can see did not come to fruition. And yes, this is the week Johnson then had a big game—his only one of the season I think.

With another loss under my belt, I really thought I had no chance to win the playoffs. I was even uncertain if I could make the playoffs, in fact. At my lowest point in the season, my new strategy seemed like a no brainer. I would intentionally put it into affect next week. I swear.