Week 6

A glut of teams at 3-3 means that mediocrity reigns supreme. Thomas may be on his way to an undefeated season after taking out closest competitor but at least Will got into the win column. Since it’s such a special day for big Will, we’ll take a closer look at his victory.

Ask About Me (1970) vs Redskins (1522)
Will’s opponent, Chris’ Redskins team was coming off of two big wins and certainly had the firepower to prevent Will from notching a victory. During OSPN’s pre-game interview with Will, he was asked what his team would try to do differently this week. His answer? “We’re going to try to win!” Asked further about what this meant, Will revealed his magnanimous side to the world.

“What we’ve been doing for five weeks is to let everyone have some fun in the league. As the commissioner, it was my responsibility to provide a safe fantasy environment for all. I gave away wins. Do you really think a team assembled by myself, Will the fantasy guru, could possibly lose five games in a row to start the season? No way. You know how when you race a little kid, you give them a big head start? That’s what I was doing. Giving everyone a big head start. Hell, I even gave Chris an advantage this week as I’m not replacing my TE or K even though they’re on bye. That’s the confidence of a (eventual) champion!”

Chris might have been bribed into playing a few duds himself this week as WR Darrell Jackson sat in the lineup during a bye and the injured Anquan Boldin remained active also. Looking at the score, you can tell neither team was playing their best. The Redskins had QB Vince Young exit early, injured and hobbling. The passing attack suffered greatly without young Vince in the game and while veteran Brian Griese passed for 390 points, there wasn’t much he could do with only one healthy WR (Antwaan Randle El, 74 pts). Chris’ team picked up some steam behind Willis McGahee and Thomas Jones (507 pts, combined) but enough about losers.

“How bout those Ask About Me!’s !!!!” Not quite the same ring as “How bout them Cowboys!!!” eh? The trades GM Will engaged in two weeks ago led directly to this first win. WRs Braylon Edwards (339 pts) and Kevin Curtis (327 pts) were outstanding. QB Donovan McNabb was slightly above average (278 pts) but lent a steady hand. The passing game spread the field and opened up space for RB Ronnie Brown to rumble and roll his way to 385 points.

The result? A huge win for Will!

Call Me Mr. G (2423) vs Renegadez (1535)
I’m starting to think that Jermaine’s not home. No second QB for the week, an injured Steven Jackson still in the lineup, and kicker Adam Vinatieri on a bye – which is excusable actually. Then again, Call Me Mr. G scored the most points this week so really, why complain? Rookie sensation Adrian Peterson had 779 points. Seven hundred and seventy seven. Good lord! Add in the Ravens D going nuts for 500 and that’s all she said for Rene. The Renegadez consolation is that newly acquired RB Maurice Jones-Drew looks like a beast (584 pts) and Drew Brees is picking things up with 324 points. Anyone else think Will would be Jones-Drew if he was a running back in the NFL? Totally right?

Vultures (2298) vs El Nino’s (1897)
Who needs a second quarterback when you’re the best team in the lead? Refusing the buckle to traditional pressure and finding a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, Thomas rode the last season’s MVP, LaDainian Tomlinson, and his 683 breakout points. LDT single-handedly outscored whole teams this week (well, okay, just Ben’s team). Then again, Hong’s second QB, Gus Frerotte had negative 17 points so maybe it would have been better to sit him. Despite the QB setback, Hong put up a fight and was looking pretty good with the majestic Wes Welker (515 pts) but Brian Westbrook didn’t get into the end zone enough, despite picking up 342 points.

Team Rich (2282) vs Stick It 2 Em (447)
ET phone home? Is Ben playing? 447 points? Seriously? There were a handful of players who scored that much by themselves! Embarassing. Then again, it’s not like Ben’s bench had much to offer. Donte Stallworth could have added 367 points but that still wouldn’t have pulled Ben close to 1000. Just injuries and a bad week I guess? Speaking of guys who single-handedly could have beat Ben, Rich’s Devin Hester scored 475 points by himself and he’s a kick returner! Rich didn’t even need Tom Brady’s five touchdowns and 573 points this week.

Dog Killers (2092) vs Bad News Bruins (1919)
Entering a week where byes forced many of his best players to take a seat, they somehow managed to pull out another Monday night win. This time, powered by the surprising DeAngelo Williams (323 pts) and the always spectacular TJ Houshmandzadeh (450 pts). The Bad News Bruins put up a fight behind Steve Smith’s 413 points but with horrific QB play (Brett Favre had 108, Kurt Warner had -24), they stumbled to a loss. The good news is that Larry Johnson finally did something, finally.

Next week: Could Will get another win? He is playing the hapless StickIT2Em’s so anything’s possible!