Nothing is written in stone yet, but naturally there are some players who are in much better shape than others. The top players in the AFC are all but locked in to a playoff spot, but everyone else is highly vulnerable. Lots to be decided down the stretch, so let's get started with a look at what we have on tap this week:
We'll begin in the AFC North where the entire group is facing divisional action this week. Starting things off is division leader Brenda's Bulldogs who, let's face it, barring an epic collapse down the stretch is going to take the division title easily. She currently has a three-win lead with five matches left meaning she could clinch in the next two weeks. Trying to put a stop to that idea is StuB, who would need an absolute miracle in order to win the division, but still has a shot to get into the Wild Card race. He's still two and a half wins back from a playoff spot, but there's certainly time left to make up the distance.
Standing in StuB's way of earning a Wild Card are the two other AFC North players, Lacie Belles and Waterboys who will be facing off this week. If anyone is going to dethrone Brenda's Bulldogs from the top of the division it would most likely be Lacie Belles, but a win this week is pretty much a requirement. If Lacie Belles loses and Brenda's Bulldogs wins, that would give Brenda a four-match lead with four weeks left -- not something anyone is likely to overcome. For his part, Waterboys is another one looking to get into a spot to pick up a Wild Card. At two wins back, getting a victory this week would be a big boost.
Down in the NFC South we have division leader and current #3 playoff seed Schleps looking to A) keep his spot atop the division, and B) move up into one of the coveted first-round playoff bye slots. Looking to knock him down a peg this week is Mike W, who isn't in a bad spot considering his current 4th place divisional standing. He's only two wins off the division lead, and has four divisional matches in these final five weeks. If he catches fire at the right time (which would be, you know, now) then he could easily take over the division down the stretch.
Things are tightening up in the NFC West these days -- Secretly Victorious is atop the division and is still clinging on to a first-round playoff bye, but a 1-3 streak in the last month has made what once seemed like a sure thing into a pretty iffy prospect. Now it's do or die time, as Evil Squad Of Evil is poised to take over the top of the division with a win this week. If Secretly Victorious wants to give herself a little extra breathing room down the stretch, this one is a must-win.
That's it for the divisionals, but we're just going to quickly point out a few other matches that are likely going to be very important as we head down the stretch. They are all matches between players who appear on the chart at the top of the page, so a win here will be crucial to playoff positioning:
Pigskin Palookas vs. Hyena
Mother Cluckers vs. Deesato
Lyle Alzado vs. Yellow Jackets
Ok, that'll do it for the early part of the preview. Make sure you have your pick submitted for Thursday's game by noon on Thursday, and good luck!
We also have a very rare occurrence -- for only the second time, we have a match settled before the preview is finished! In order to maintain a slight bit of suspense, we'll just say that one of the 12 matches in which the Thursday game was a difference was also a One-Difference match...check the results below to see whose week ended before it had even begun.
And on the opposite end of that spectrum, we have a Monday Night Madness Match of the Week -- zero differences, all coming down to MNF score. These guys made the dividing line easy -- if the total score is 40 or under, Schleps takes it. If it's 41+, then Mike W walks away a winner.
And that's it for the preview -- good luck, all!
Not only was Vlad M the first victor this week, he was also the most successful. His 12-pick performance was enough to bring home this week's Player of the Week award. Nicely done!
Our Week 13 pick chart is now complete, so take a look at how your week came together. You can also see how those all-important Standings are looking, and get a jump on getting you Week 14 picks submitted. Have a great week, everyone!
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