Week 13 Previews with Sun Tzu (text only edition)

It's here, the final week of the fantasy regular season.  The expansion season saw the craziest playoffs race get to the final week with only one team punching hole to their big-dance ticket.  SanFranciscoFerries have won eight straight to capture the play-offs first-round bye.  The other five spots are battled among the eight 7-win teams, with six of them going head-to-head against each other.  It plays out so that all 7-win teams will get in with a win, and a loss will end their seasons unless BDT or HSNB can knock off their respective 7-win opponents.  Trichs, Grossman and Tiger are the closest to the second and last first-round bye, but they all need a win to even get to the playoffs.  It's that tight this year.
*Because Sun Tzu is on the road, his previews only contains text this week.

(1) SanFranciscoFerries (8-4) vs (14) Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz (0-12)
After not pausing for eight straight weeks, the Ferries finally get to chill and ride their top-rankingz into week 13 stylez treatment.  Stylez will complete the worst regular season of the PSAS history.

The Ferries were the only seven win team to win in week 12, and as such clinched not only the playoffs but virtually the coveted first-round bye as the rest of the bye-hopefuls all stalled.  They did so in style, becoming the first team to score over 170 in PSAS history.  It was another beautiful all-around good game in which only one player (a LB) scored below five.  Two running backs in Lacy and Moreno went over 20, and Rivers in Wilson's bye threw well enough against KC defense to put him back in contention for the starting gig for the fantasy playoffs.  The bonanza also put them atop the points category.  This week, the Boatmen get a well-deserved stylez treatment.  So enjoy the holiday with your family, my man, you deserve it, and come back in two weeks.

At least the scheduling g0dz made it so that the stylez' freebie doesn't impact the maddening finish to the playoffs race.  The loss in week 12 made it an incredible 20 regular season games in a row that the Pr1modial Onez have lost; their names will be etched in history book forever.

-SFF -27

(t-2) Trichotillomaniacs (7-5) vs (t-6) Phat Girlz (7-5)
The first of three matches between two 7-5 teams will see franchises with history between each other go head-to-head.  This battle will be fought to the bones.

The Trichs got their scoring back in the week 12 dismantling of Polk High thanks to decent games by Kap, Marshall and MJD.  The General cashed in on a rare MJD retro performance because of the uncertainty with Ridley, who was rightly left on the Far East bench.  He fumbled yet again and wasn't on the field afterwards, so the General escaped another late-evening disaster with Eric Decker getting just 0.9pts on the opposite sideline in frigid Foxboro.  Zac Stacy was on his way to another monster game with a TD under the belt and his Rams up big against poor run defense of the Bears, but he was concussed and left half of his meal on the table.  Julius Thomas was a game-time scratch on Sunday Night Game, but the Far East Side utilized the depth and had Greg Olsen start at TE.  The move paid off when Olsen caught the game winning touchdown for the other Panthers.  Of course the Far East Brigade dealt with the mishaps well during week 12, but it leaves matters to deal with in crucial week 13.  Julius Thomas looks set to come back, but Stacy's status is pretty up in the air and Ridley may be in the Belichik dog house for good for his repeated offense.  With Gore also coming off a sub-par performance, the backfield for the General looks pretty shaky for the first time this season.  It looks like super-stash Crabtree is making a debut this week, but his performance is as unreliable as an MJD retro-performance redux.  Tough decisive week to wrap up the regular season with the post-season on the line, but at least they are the closest team to the second bye if they can hold off the Girlz.

In the hindsight, the Girlz only needed to beat the expansion Goslings in week 12 to clinch the playoffs.  The Baby Birds wouldn't buck down, and instead they bitch slapped Monique.  In the loss, points didn't really come from anywhere in another Sproles' absence, with only three players in double digits.  At least one of them was D-Bowe, who seems the kind of player that needs his ass or tokes on fire to perform well.  Now the Girlz are in a tough spot in needing a win over the Trix, who is second in scoring so far this season.  The Girlz themselves have the bottom five scoring offense, so they are lucky that they are still in control of their post-season destination with a win here.  Sproles seems to be coming back to a tough matchup against Seattle on MNF to help the rest of the backfield with Tate and Miller both dealing with their shares of issues, though at least Miller's carry will increase with Daniel Thomas out.  Stafford will try to put the Girlz on the right track on Turkey Day with a strong early performance.  Teams playing Monique have a way of lowballing against her this season, so amazingly Monique is still in this and it's pretty much a coin-toss for the Girlz.

-Trix -3.5

(t-2) ThePelicanBrief (7-5) vs (12) BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng (5-7)
The Grishamites will be involved in their own thriller against BDT with their playoffs chance on the line.  The league is watching this one closely with a major playoffs implication,

The Pelican went for the clinch last week against the bankerz but couldn't overcome the surging Comish's troops despite Brady beating Manning in head-to-head match in real and fantasy football.  The Legal Thrillers went two TE and both scored in the double digits, but that wasn't enough to cover for the Cleveland defense scoring a fat goose egg in Seattle D fill-in.  The titration here is getting difficult to get it right, with Hakeem Nicks disappointing in contract year and a so-so backfield that's hard to predict.  At least Brady's numbers are back up again and he faces porous Texans defense, so a big game can be be expected out of him.  The obvious stars like Brady, V. Davis and Welker need to align and have solid games against last year's runner-up BDT for the Brief to get the thrill going beyond this week.

The Chico Boyz enjoyed the stylez treatment in week 12 while leaving a kicker and two IDPs on bye in the lineup.  In the end it was a W, but they didn't really cover the spread.  This week, all eyez are on the Philosophers as they face the Grishamites hoping to set their foot in the playoffs.  If the Boyz can knock the Thrillers out of the race, it opens some doors for the 7-5 teams that may lose in week 13.  As always, their charge will start with Romo and Dez playing on ritual Thanksgiving Day against irrelevant Oakland.  Ray Rice will also play Thursday night, so the Boyz hope for an early jump start on Turkey Day.  The Ivory situation needs some attention, as his status is pretty uncertain this week.  Per Yahoo projection, this one will be close, and with nothing to lose here unlike the Brief who's got everything on the line, the advantage is actually in the Boyz' hands.  

-BDT even
 
(t-2) GrossmanSachs (7-5) vs (13) HomeSpunNeckBloodz (4-8)
Champion Bloodz try to stop the Bankerz come-back season in a final-week showdown between two rivals.

Grossman is pretty much where they want to be after a season full of hiccups, with needing only a win over the thirteenth-ranked team to get to the dance.  Of course that thirteenth-ranked team is last year's champ Bloodz, so it's no cake-walk here.  As seen in week 12 win in which 6 players scored in double figures including Gordon's 30plus pts, the bankerz got the depth and firepower to beat any team.  The only hint of shadow for Commish is that TE Gates is finally showing some wear and tear in getting slowed down and surrendering some catches to younger Charger tight ends.  Hard to see too many of the players on the lineup flopping at once, but then luck hasn't really been on their side this season, so you never know with the Sachs.  But then they are also in a unique situation, because of their tie-break advantage, that they may get in to the playoffs even with a loss here.  With a strong offense that's blossomed of late, they are also in striking distance of the first-round bye spot if they can handle the spinnerz.

The Bloodz once again can play the perfect spoiler if they can knock out the bankerz here and give some hope to other teams.  Of course the way they played against the Mountain in week 12 doesn't give the rest of the league much reasons for hope.  It's just been tough for the spinnerz since Cutler went down as they've had to rely on Houston's pass offense, which is like 19% of offense under Coach Kubiak, to give them points.  The backfield beyond Forte is also on shaky grounds with a bunch of time-share backs making the titration that much harder to get right.  Still, if things click they can beat contenders, evidenced by the raucous they made against the Trichs in week 9 and the scare they handed Monique in week 11.

-GS -6

(5) TakingTigerMountain (7-5) vs (t-6) The Goslings (7-5)
The second of head-to-head 7-5 match-ups will be played down to the wire with the Mountain's Saints duo playing in MNF.  The original projection has the Mountain up by 17pts, but this one will be closer than that with the winner undisputedly getting to the dance.

The Mountain erupted in the week 12 manhandling of the Bloodz with 8 players in double figures, including Von Miller with whopping 20plus pts from the IDP position.  Brees-Graham connected yet again, and the duo is probably a unanimous Double-Titration of the Year award winner of 2013.  It's hard to find any weaknesses in this line-up, with Vereen staying out of the fumbling plague that's infested the Pats backfield providing good late-season lift for the Mountain backfield.  The matchup this week is not ideal for the Mountain Men, with Brees and Co facing ferocious Seattle defense on MNF.  The Mountain will still be favored to win in this heads-up, but the alarm is sounding loud here.

The Gosllings' inaugural quest continues with their handling of the Girlz in week 12.  It wasn't splashy, but then that hasn't really been their style all season.  The Baby Geese are all about the results, and they look to get a big result here in week 13 against contending Tigers.  The Goose got some points from the Rams with Austin shredding through Chicago defense early and IDP Quinn getting a TD.  But that was pretty much the bulk of the Goslings' offense.  Luck once again disappointed, despite being in a fantasy sweetspot of being down big and having a green-light to unleash.  This offense rise and fall with Luck, and he needs to lead this team with a strong showing against a decent Tennessee defense.  It's hard to imagine a Tavon repeat against strong 49ers defense in this intriguing counter-titration matchup.  

-TTM -3.5

(t-6) Polk High Panthers (7-5) vs (t-6) Tusken Raiders (7-5)
The third 7-5 match of the week feature two teams that have stalled of late.  PHP and TR were 6-1 and 5-2 respectively at the mid-point of the season.  In their last five game, they've combined for 3-7.  The Raiders are coming off a win, but the last time the Panthers saw W was in week 8, over a month ago.  Of course all parts of the season count the same, so the winner here will be rewarded for their early-season success and get to the dance.

The Panthers couldn't really do much against the Trichs in week 12 with Megatron being held to earthly 11.5 pts and rolling the dice at the flex spot on a tight end that was inactive on MNF.  They were dealing with their last wave of bye players including AJ and Law Firm, so Bundy is happy to have them back.  The offense here needs some boost, and looks like R-Burger is taking the snaps now, which makes sense with the way things are going in Atlanta.  Both Ben and Megatron will play on Thursday, so strong games by them will set the tone for the final push for the playoffs in week 13.

The Sand People were happy to pick up a win over the Mustard Yellow in week 12's Philly bye.  QB RGIII and the Tusken wide receivers combined for 5.2 pts, and if it wasn't for the strong backfield performance with Charles and Woodhead combing for over 53 pts, their season could be over last week.  They'll get Foles and D-Jax back this week, so the aerial attack should get a major boost, although Arizona's defense is mimicking the other NFC West defenses and has been pretty stellar lately.  The backfield will perform, but the season may very well come down to how the Philly duo
handle themselves.  This will be another close match.

-TR even

(10) Dijonnaise All-Stars (6-6) vs (11) AEthernauts (5-7)
These two are sort of like being in a fight outside the barn-fence.  The wrap-up to well-fought 2013 seasons for these two teams will be an irrelevant lame-duck match unfortunately, though mathematically the Mustards have a very impossible chance of making the playoffs with a win.

The Colonel's troops couldn't defeat the Tusken Raiders in what was essentially a must-win game.  Fitz finally had a nice game with two TDs, but that wasn't really enough to keep their season alive.  The struggle for the Mustard Yellow coincided with the start of struggle for the Yellow receivers such as Cruz and Fitz, and that was once again the demise in week 12 as Cruz's presence was pretty close to nill.  They look to end their rookie season above .500, a very commendable result, with a win over the Nauts this week.  They need the G-men double-titration to show up against the Nauts own fearful Cam-Smith titration.

The Space Travelers were double-scored by the Ferries in a salt-to-injury kind of a loss in week 12.  Cam and the backfield played pretty good, but that was it.  Even the reliable-so-far KC defense gave up and scored in the negatives.   The Nauts will welcome Lynch-Mob back from bye, and look to finish this 2013 regular season on a positive note with a win over the Yellow Mustard.

-Nauts -2.5

Week 13 Power Rankings

Week 12 kept 9 teams in the race, which looks likely but not certainly to be an 8 win cutoff. Weekly score average takes a dip to 102.7. Seven were over 100 and four were over 120. This week features a variety of do or die games, several with both contestants in play.

1 . (1) SanFranciscoFerries (8-4) The class of the league the Ferries won their seventh straight and will ride the top bye into the playoffs. The Ferries put three players over 20 and set a new PSAS scoring record.  They've got four legitimate running backs, two QBs in the top 10 and four WR2-3s.  Is Moreno a question mark after the cold weather SNF game?  They're head and shoulders the favorite for the playoffs and if they go out early it's more fluke than fault.  Their bolt-holders, most-improved franchise, and best on the wire.  What's the proxy's cut again?


T. . (T.2) Trichs  (7-5) - The Far East Brigade took it to the Fading Glory of Polk high and stand on the brink of a remarkable bounce-back season, but they took a couple serious body blows in their week 12 win. Stacy's concussion and Ridley's "disgusting" fumble benching keeps things interesting for the Hair Pullers, meaning they'll be short handed in their must-win against PG.  They'll count on the Keeper-nick and Gore to lead the way and hope that MJD to take home a play in game.

T. 3.  (T.2) Pelican Brief - (7-5)  - The Pelicans blinked and missed their chance to breath easy in week 13. With Seattle's Defense on a bye, Cleveland let the R-burger walk all over them and drew a goose-egg.  Brady had been in double digits for three straight weeks and seems to have his best football ahead of him. They need CJ and Ellington to be more boom than bust to clinch against BDT in a must win.

T. 3 (T. 6) Grossman Sachs (7-5) - The g0dbank has a fair shot at a bye after demolishing the Pelicans - all they have to do is keep from getting sucked into the Cyclotron in Week 13.  Flash Gordon was the WR of the day and AP and Jennings kept the tanks rolling forward. Manning was again pedestrian on a cold night game, he's got a couple of dream match-ups for the playoffs if he can get them that far. 

 5. (T. 6) TakingTigerMountain (7-5) - The Tigers took another handhold on playoff mountain but are still dangling into week 13.  The triple Saints attack got 49 off the dispirited Falcons, it won't be so easy against the Seahawks next week and that's a big reason why the Tigers aren't a lock to enter their third straight playoff tournament. Matthews' hamstring injury is a concern too, he's been one of the better surprises for the Mountain in the second half.  If he can't go, they'll have to roll the dice with Spiller, a fitting if terrifying role for their draft dollar baby. A 7-5 head-to-head with the Goslings is a one game playoff all to itself. Points keep the Tigers a nails grip ahead of the bubble pack.  
  
T. 6. (4)  Polk High Panthers  (7-5) - Pity the Panthers, the once mighty squad has run out of gas and can't seem to nail down a playoff spot. With AJ, the lawfirm and FJax on byes Calvin had to try and do it alone and couldn't overcome Stafford's four picks.  Jacobs had a decent turn as a spot starter, but there was too much out of action to compete with the Hair Pullers this week.  The Panthers will shake it off and try to drum up some of their old glory in a win-and-in match up against the Tatooine Dessert People.
T. 6. (5) Phat Girlz (7-5) -  Monique had perhaps the best chance last week to punch a playoff ticket early (a match-up against the point-poor Goslings with their star L-Mac on bye), but couldn't get it done.  A Tate benching against J-ville, cut the Girlz knees out from under them here.  If there's a silver lining it's that race-war victim Lamar Miller is the last man standing in the Dolphins backfield.  They'll hope Stafford will provide them with something to be thankful for against reeling Green  Bay on Thanksgiving. 


T. 6 . (8) Tusken Raiders (7-5) - The Raiders kept their season alive with a good win over the Mustard Men, despite rolling the dice with an empty WR spot. Woodhead and Charles carried the water with dueling 20+. With D-Jax back next week the Tatooine club will face off against the Reeling Bundy's and try to blast their way into the playoffs.

T. 6. (9)  Goslings (7-5) - After week 6, nobody had the 2-4 Goslings on their radar.  Since 5-1 the baby Geese have shaped an underdog playoff narrative. The rookie Drivers coast into final week playoff contention on the heels of a good-enough upset over the Girlz.  Tavon Austin lead the team from the flex with 19 and St. Louis added 10 to their projection in a week where likely suspects Luck, Nelson and White were relatively quiet. They'll get Shady back to lead the team (matching against a tough Arizona front seven) and look to knock the Tigers off the Mountain and secure an surprise playoff birth.

10 (9)  Dijonaise All Stars  (6-6) Give Team Yellow credit. They didn't give up when A-Rodg and Arian went down, they soldiered on and stayed in the picture as long as possible.  The Raiders started to apply lacquer to a strong rookie season for the Mustardians. They put their best team on the field and that's all that you can ask at this point in the season.

11. (9) Aethernauts (5-7)  - The Nauts were the latest victims of the Shipping Industry as the Ferries put a scare into doubling their score.  The Ferries will likely tie the Nauts record of nine straight victories from 2011 next week.  The Nauts emptied their pocketbooks for Rainey in a game effort to pull the upset, and (aside from Rainey) they got some good performances. But nobody was beating the Ferries this week.

12. (T. 11) BuildingDwellingThinking  (5-7)  -The Chico All-Stars took a well deserved rest against the Primordial ones in week 12.  But the question on everybody's mind is: will they come to play against the Pelicans in week 13. In the most plausible (according to Yahoo projections) upset with playoff implications.  BDT could send the Legal Thrillers to the consolation tournament with a b345ly game.  They'll have to do it without Chris Ivory who sprained his ankle in week 12, on the roster they have a host of time share, or potential vulture RBs. 

13. (T. 10) Homespun Neckbloodz  (4-8) The Bloodz looked like they had a chance to put a scare into the Tigers going into Sunday, but Keenum reverted to his old self and couldn't find Andre for any meaningful yardage.  They'll take one last shot at an upset against the Sachs in week 13. They'll be underdogs for sure, but there are enough big names to make it plausible.

14. (14)  PrimordialLifestyles (0-12) There's a kind of symmetry about losing all your games, resisting the urge to check in and try and stick it to some team in a random week in the middle of the season. 

Post-SNF standings week 12

We’ve got the tentative standings after week 12 SNF game, with one MNF game remaining.  The win-loss column has already been updated with the scores as they stand now.  The total points will increase for some teams, but the result are very  unlikely to change after tonight.  Well, Garcon can conceivably have a career day against Niners secondary and clinch playoffs for the Girlz tonight with a miraculous come-back win over the Goslings.  Unlikely but possible.

Week 12 post SNF standings

1.  SFF               8-4*          1461.49            PL

2.  TRIX            7-5            1441.31            PG           

3.  GS                7-5            1427.29            HSNB

4.  TTM             7-5            1410.92            GOS

5.  TR                7-5            1314.16            PHP

6.  PHP              7-5            1287.73            TR           

7.  PB                7-5            1276.87            BDT

8.  GOS             7-5            1246.98            TTM

9.  PG                7-5            1228.41            TRIX

10.  DAS           6-6            1157.98            AE

11.  AE              5-7            1341.97            DAS

12.  BDT           5-7            1249.47            PB

13.  HSNB        4-8            1194.37            GS

14.  PL              0-12            871.88            SFF

*clinched playoff spot.  

-SFF has virtually clinched first-round bye as they face PL next.  They’ll finish as the lone 9-4 team atop the standings, winning nine in a row after starting the season 0-4.  Impressive.

-With eight 7-5 teams vying for the remaining five spots and three head-to-head matches among these teams, all 7-5 teams are essentially win and in, lose and out.  Looks like the playoff is already starting. 

-The winner among 7-5 teams with the most pts scored for will capture the second and last first-round bye ticket.  Better start lacking up those points starting tonight.

-With HSNB and/or BDT win, two/one 7-6 teams will make it to the playoffs correspondingly.  Tie-breaker plays crucial role if last year’s championship teams show some pride and knock off their respective 7-5 opponents (GS and PB).  (We are not considering the remotest of chance that PL beats SFF).

-If HSNB or BDT wins and DAS beats AE, DAS will also stand at 7-6 and has a mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs, although with over 250 pts margin in the tie-breaking pts category to catch up, the gap is an impossible one to fill.  DAS is virtually eliminated. 

Wekk 12 Previews with Sun Tzu, Late edition

As predicted, we didn’t really get much of clarity in the playoffs picture after two expansion teams beat their respective top-three opponents in week 11.  The top-ranked Ferries are probably the closest thing to being one-leg-in, but no team can afford a cruise-control just yet.  The tightest playoffs chase in PSAS history will come down to this last two weeks and almost everyone is in a must-win mode now.  Unfortunately something called luck will play a big part, and there will be some hearts broken during the holidays.

(1) SanFranciscoFerries (7-4) vs (11) Aethernauts (5-6)

The Nauts take a crack at trying to stop the Ferries' streak.  These two were second and first in scoring respectively last week, so expect a closer-than-the-rankingz-suggest kinda game here. 

This speedboat seems just unstoppable.  In week 11, they slaughtered the Raiders like animals ala Anakin Skywalker and extended their winning streak to seven.  Atop the standing and third on points scored, the Ferries are the closest team to clinching a playoff spot and a first-round bye.  The match against the Sand People once again showcased a good all-around game, starting with Russell Wilson who's clearly a notch above Rivers and his rival Kaepernick this season.  Harry Douglas is proving to be a reliable long-term receiver option in Atlanta, and he and Torrey Smith add firepower to the Boatmen's formidable four-back-based offense.  Speaking of, the backfield did show some concerning signs, with Moreno deferring Denver’s goal-line carries to Monte Ball and Bush having some fumbling issues.  With both Russell Wilson and Cincy defense on bye, the Ferries will rely more on the receivers led by Gronk to carry them past surging AEthernauts this week.  This is a tough game.  Ferries will wrap up the regular season with a Stylez treatment next week, so win here and they will all but clinch the first-round bye. 

The Nauts did everything in week 11 to keep their slim chance for playoffs arrive, regardless of how slim that is.  Cam and Lynch-mob’s big games were complimented by decent outputs by all phases of the game, though the receivers did leave something to desire for.  The Nauts aren’t giving up at all, going all in on Tampa’s Rainey to fill-in for Lynch’s bye this week.  With Andre Brown playing the way he is, the Space Traveler’s backfield is as good as the Ferries.  Obviously, the Nauts need more than win all their games to make it to the playoffs, but the intention to keep doing their part is commendable.  If they can pull off this upset, things just may come their way this time. 

-SFF -3

(t-2) Trichotillomaniacs (6-5) vs (4) Polk High Panthers (7-4)

Two playoff-hopefuls square off in a bounce-back week.  A virtual must win game for both teams will be hard-fought.

what Jersey has to offer

The Trichs hiccupped in week 11 when they really couldn't afford it especially against a team outside of the playoffs picture in the Goslings.  It was an all-around unimpressive showing by the Hairpullers.  The problems was poor matchup with Niners facing underrated Saints D, Denver’s showdown with the Chiefs, and Carolina D playing the Pats.  Marshall and Allen have quieted down at the same time, resulting in the General’s team failing to crack 100 for the first time since week 3.  The matchups this week is more favorable, and it’s hard to imagine so many of their players low-balling all at once again this week.  They have their share of injury concerns, with Julius Thomas battling some foot issues again.  But they’ve got depth to cover for it, so as long as Kap and Co get things done on MNF showdown against weak Washington defense, they should be able to fight the Mighty Ones this week.  With the season-finale against another contender in Girlz, the cards are in the General’s hands.

Al Bundy’s squad just can’t stop the skid and have now dropped three in a row, getting gobbled up by the rest of the pack in the process.  The latest one was tough, because it was probably one AJ (0.7pts) reception away from that W that is all of a sudden difficult to come by in Atlanta.  Megatron once again went over 30 pts, but that was pretty much it in week 11.  Their switch to two-TE formation wasn’t effective in the loss, but they are probably forced to go with both T-Gonz and Reed again with Cincy’s AJ and Law Firm as well as F-Jax on bye.  They’ve wanted a win for awhile, and it won’t come easy this week with juggernaut Trichs looking for their own bounce-back. 

-Trix -3.5

(t-2) ThePelicanBrief (7-4) vs (t-6) GrossmanSachs (6-5)

This battle of two contenders will be another hard fought one. 

The Pelican chased out the Tiger in week 11 thanks to retro-CJ?K performance again.  The rest of the Thrillers were just ok, with Brady being the only other skilled position player scoring in double digits.  Hakeem Nicks is neck-to-neck with D-Bowe for the disappointment of the year award, and the Pelican’s patient with him may be running out.  The ever-reliable Seattle D is on bye this week, so the Legal Thrillers need the likes of Vernon Davis and Wes Welker to step up and get to the endzone to fight-off the Comish’s troops. 

The Bankerz have long been in a must-win mode and have now picked up three wins in a row.  The stylez treatment last week came with a style again in them scoring over 120 pts; they are now second in scoring and hold the crucial tie-breaking edge over the rivals.  Still the Comish can’t afford to rest here, especially against another playoff-hopeful.  Gio Bernard is on bye this week, so the bankerz will rely on S-Jax and DMC handcuff Jennings to carry the load.  This teams boast one of the best in terms of the strength of lineup and depth, so as long as there isn’t a case of infectious low-balling, the points and W should come their way. 

-GS -2.5

(5) Phat Girlz (7-4) vs (t-9) The Goslings (6-5)

The Goslings try to put an end to the Girlz’ four-week winning streak and destroy Monique’s hope.

Monique barely got her girlz running past the Bloodz and, thanks to some other six-win teams stalling, got her team back in the in-crowd for the playoffs spot.  Stafford hooked up with Megatron a couple of times for another nice fantasy game.  Clay gave the girlz some production out of the TE position that has been amiss for awhile, and Tate is holding himself together in the feature role in Houston.  The outcome was still a close one that could have gone either way, so we must say Monique’s squad’s still walking on a thight one.  The reality is still that the Girlz need to win out with the total scoring in bottom five of the league.  Looks like Sproles will be unavailable yet again, but the Girlz have won games without much out of him even when he was playing.  Not that it matters for them if they lose this week, but next up are the Trichs.

The Baby Birds handed the Trichs a tough loss in week 11 and kept their own playoffs appearance a mathematical possibility.  Shady McCoy led the way with 28pts, and Luck in comeback mode was decent, way better than Geno Smith on the bench.  It was mostly nice showings save for maybe Jonathan Stewart, who’s essentially Carolina’s fourth running option behind Cam, DeAngelo, and Tolbert and doesn’t really seem reliable for the critical period of fantasy football season.  Goslings squad have talent, it’s just hard to predict where the points will come from beyond Luck, McCoy, Nelson and Bell at this point.  With McCoy on bye, the Birds hope the points will come from some place against the Girlz this week. 

-PG -6

(t-6) TakingTigerMountain (6-5) vs (13) HomeSpunNeckBloodz (4-7)

The Bloodz gets in the way of the Mountain’s quest for the playoffs. 

The Mountain Men were handed an ill-afforded loss by the Pelicans in week 11 despite Antonia Brown having a monster game.  In fact Brown is having a great fantasy season, currently ranking fifth in pts among all wide-receivers.  Ryan Mathews was also solid again last week.  However, these two couldn’t overcome the Saints trio being contained by a good 49ers defense.  This is Brees-Graham team, and when they are held to less than 20 pts it gives their opponent a chance.  The Saints play the Thursday game this week, so Brees-Graham-Pierre need to put the Mountain on the right track early on with good performances.  Currently the last team out in standings, the Mountain Men is in near-desparation. 

The Bloodz got another tough one in week 11, losing to the Girlz by mere 1.23 pts.  This was the smallest margin so far this season, and it’s been that kind of a season for the Centrifuge.  Forte and V-Jax were in elite forms, but Newly-minted Houston titration barely got 20 pts between them and Witten-substitute Eifert and Royal were almost non-factors.  Two IDP goose-eggs were the daggers, especially Kendricks’s DNP.  Sherman is an elite corner, and as such is prone to the opposing QB not throwing his way at all.  Playing for pride and the thrill of ringing the spoiler-alert, the spinnerz will take on TTM this week and the bankerz next week to try to be the next team to wreck havoc on the playoffs picture.

-TTM -3.5

(8) Tusken Raiders (6-5) vs (t-9) Dijonnaise All-Stars (6-5)

Two 6-5 teams battle to knock each other out of the playoffs race. 

The Raiders of Tatooine couldn’t stop the Ferry and have now dropped three of the last four games in this critical juncture of the season.  The Sand People didn't get much of production from anybody in the starting lineup except QB Foles while leaving a whopping 62 pts on the bench.  But who could predict Monte Ball and not Jamaal Charles getting to the end twice in the KC-Denver matchup?  With Philly on bye, both Foles and D-Jax will be out this week, and once again it’s on RGIII to keep the Raiders raiding.  With a match still left against Polk High next week, they can still win out the rest and get some help to get to the playoffs. 

Colonel’s troops are now a long-shot to make the playoffs despite beating then-top-ranked Panthers in week 11.  The win in itself was somewhat miraculous, with an IDP Burfict leading the team in pts with 17.15, a RB getting a goose-egg and still coming up with a win.  Realistically, the Mustard Yellow need to win out the rest of the season and hope all eight win teams will get to the playoffs, as they really don’t have enough firepower to win any tie-breaker at this point.  Knocking out the Tusken Raiders will do good both for the team’s slim hope and motivation.

-TR -6.5

(12) BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng (4-7) vs (14) Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz (0-11)

In this battle of two lost seasons, the German Philosophers will pick up a win.

Week 11 was yet another loss despite the Boys going over 100 pts in Romo-Dez absence.  Rice finally looked like his 2012 self with a strong game and Ivory picked up where he left off before the bye and got 17.40 pts, but Cam and the Nauts were just too much to handle.  They face the Stylz this week, so the Boys are not even bothering to re-insert the Boys back into lineup.  It’s probably all irrelevant anyways.

Currently holding the longest regular-season losing streak of PSAS history at 19 dating back to week 6 of 2012 season, they’ll likely go down as the first win-less squad on the PSAS record book.  Counting consolation tournament of last year, they’ve lost 21 games in a row now.  Maybe one day Demaryius will single-handedly win a game for the Stylz.

-BDT -20