The Week that Was ... Let the Wild Rumpus Begin ... Week 8

NFFLers:

Good morning gentlemen and Happy Halloween. The festivities of the weekend - including a marathon for Mrs. Commish - means todays post will be a bit sorter than normal. You've been spared. I would be remiss, however, if I did not take a moment to celebrate some of the performances from last weekend:

• PKay Metals won 92-90 over the #1 team in the league - Padnos. Its a HUGE boost for the hardest working GM in California and even though CBS predicted this outcome - it had to be a surprise for both Spencer and Heitmeier.
• Ansam won the Cupro Nickel Bowl over Thalheimer 89-66 as another of the top teams went down. It was Ansam's best game of the year and Thal's worst. Probably just a blip - a scoring anomaly if you will - but a win over Thalheimer for Ansam means bragging rights for 365 days for Ben Zager. Congrats.
• Sims Adams won the Dienst Bowl over Sims Metal Management 77-69 to get the three-fold spread in the FY2009 Annual Report. A balanced attack by SAR was enough to get past the aerial attack of Sims in a game that CBS also predicted accurately.

In all, Week 7 meant extending winning streaks for Buffalo and Carolina (now at 4 on the bounce), an extension of the leagues longest losing streak for The Rail (now at 5) and a return to parity as 10! teams sit within 2.5 games of Buffalo's lead leading record of 5-1-1.

No lets let the wild rumpus begin in week 8. In reverse order of the power rankings:

#7 SAR v #14 Progress Rail

The Rail looks to bounce back from his 5 game skid against 3-4 SAR. Its a tall order for The Rail as bye weeks mean SAR doesn't have a choice as to whom to start. With the leagues worst coaches ranking, this is a real benefit to Keizler, who as mentioned in earlier posts, inherited a pretty good team from brother Larry. Last week, though, he left Vernon Davis and his 27 fantasy points on the bench - which is a mistake he cannot repeat in Week 8. Its unlikely to matter as The Rail is currently looking at his roster, scratching his head and asking himself "Who are you people anyway?"

#3(t) Dos v #13 Ansam

Dos has some pretty serious Bye week issues so this game against Ansam comes at a decent time. CBS is predicting a 20 point win for your Commish but may be underestimating the impact of Ansam's recent waiver wire addition Shonn 'War Machine' Greene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yPN0Oa2YqM&feature=related

#3 (t) Buffalo v #12 Smelters

The Battle for Lake Erie starts off this week with a game Smelters is predicted to win. With all world Roethlisberger on the bench for Buffalo in favor of Alex Smith, the team sheet is nowhere near as pretty. Smelters, on the other hand, finally benefits from being able to bench Larry Johnson in favor of someone who is actually playing. Smelters is looking to play spoiler....at this point the game means more to Buffalo than Smelters, but never underestimate the will of the owner of the Worlds Greatest Ingot Maker.

#11 PKay v #5 Thalheimer

Can the magic continue for Spencer and Larry in Southern California? They've had the toughest schedule so far, and it continues this week against the East Coast Legend; CBS thinks Thal has the slight edge. Thalheimer has a bunch of key players active in the grudge match between the Giants and the Eagles, while PKay has guys active for the Chargers against Oakland. You've heard it before - it all comes down to matchups.

#10 Solomon v #6 Dynamic

There is no overstating the importance of this game for Solomon. Once one of the top teams in the league - injuries to key players Frank Gore and Reggie Wayne have slowed the Highway 1 Express. A loss here for Solomon and they're looking at 3-5. Dynamic traded their best offensive threat - Cedric Benson - for Peyton Manning. It was a bold move for DMS, and one CBS predicts will lead to victory and a 6-2 record.

#9 Sims v #1 Padnos

Like the previous game, this is another matchup of 3-4 v 5-2. Its a huge game for Sims and unfortunately he's reliant on Houston (Schaub and Johnson) on the road at Buffalo. Buffalo in November can mean swirling winds and impossible passing conditions which could submarine the efforts of Sims this week. Padnos has been reliant on Drew Brees all season, and while his good games are usually great for Fantasy, he's had some real dogs (not of the Bernese Mountain variety). In fact, Brees is only averaging 16 pts a game in his last 4. CBS is boldly predicting good weather in Buffalo and good results for Sims. Can Padnos loose twice in a row????

#8 PSC v #2 Carolina

Carolina is hotter than Georgia asphalt right now and CBS is predicting a 117 outburst against PSC. PSC has the only antidote for Adrian Peterson in the form of Maurice Jones Drew. Neither player has a great matchup, but there is little doubt the result of this week will flow through those two stud RB's.

Thats all we have for Week 8. Wish Mrs. Commish a good 26.2 and stay away from the candy.

As always,

Your Commish