Fantasy Football: My Dynasties Through Week 12

Oh boy. Sometimes it's hard to be a Panthers fan. This weekend was another example as the Panthers fell 24-23 to the Browns. We fought really hard and just came up short as the usually reliable and automatic John Kasay missed a 43 yard field goal as time expired.

Now on one hand, I'm happy because this brings us one step closer to Andrew Luck, who more and more scouts are calling elite and one of the best prospects ever at the QB position.

On the other, it's tough to be 1-10 and taking all these losses must be hard for the team. I actually think we have a chance to win next week at Seattle, who hasn't been very good recently. Jimmy Clausen came on a bit more this week. Jason Williams made a good first start at WLB. Unfortunately Peyton Hillis ran all over us in the 1st half, but Jake Delhomme delivered a pick six for us, so all is right in the world in a strange way.

So now it's time to move on to my dynasty teams after twelve weeks of fantasy football.

SCHNOCKERED DYNASTY
Team Name: The Sofa King Awesomes
Team Record: 2-11

I keep coming back to this point week after week, but it bears repeating. I am the third lowest scoring team in the league. I may have the worst record, but I've been scoring a lot of points in recent weeks, and this is without one of my star players in the Giants' Steve Smith. The two teams who have scored fewer points than me have five and six wins respectively. It's not fair, but that's the way it goes. It shows a lot of progress in my team. Guys have been producing quite well, and I'm hoping to finish strong in these final weeks, including causing an upset in my division this coming week.

I suffered a tough 178-162 loss this week. My score was the second highest in the entire league, meaning that I would have beaten any team except the team I faced, Oldguru. Oldguru is the reigning champion of the league, so I don't feel too bad.

Best Performer: RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills

34, 27 and 27. These are the point outputs for Fred Jackson over the past three weeks. He has singlehandedly helped this team score a lot of points. Fred Jackson is playing some great football right now. Despite his age, he is a player I want to hang on to because I am not a believer in C.J. Spiller's ability to run between the tackles, something Jackson is very adept at. Jackson's 27 points this week came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, making the feat even more impressive.

BLACK AND BLUE IDP DYNASTY
Team Name: The Wet Bandits
Team Record: 9-3* (* = clinched playoff berth)

Celebrations are in order as I have officially clinched a playoff spot in this league! Woooooo! That feels good for me because I put a lot of work into it and the potential monetary gains is enticing to say the least. I'm the #2 seed in the playoffs, which are operated in a different way to normal. I have a bye next week, and then the top four teams will duke it out in an all-play format for three final weeks. This means that the highest scoring team for the three week span will win the league. It's a system that I've never seen used before, but it should make for an exciting finish. It takes chance out of it and rewards the best team.

Best Performer: WR Deion Branch, New England Patriots

In a narrow 267-263 victory, Deion Branch came out as the best points scorer for the team. It's somewhat of a surprise, but I'll take it. Branch scored 26 points as the Patriots routed the Lions on Thanksgiving. Let's hope he keeps it up down the stretch, because if there is one position I am weak at, it is wide receiver.

DYNASTYGUYS IDP CHARTER LEAGUE
Team Name: Puntzilla's Barnstormers
Team Record: 9-4* (clinched playoff berth)

That's right, not just one playoff spot clinched, but two! This one feels really good. This league is the one I focused on most closely and really wanted to succeed in. It's a league filled with very good owners. Being 9-4 is a nice feeling, I must say. I have to pat myself on the back for a job well done (so far).

Next week sees the double header games within the divisions as teams vye for those last few playoff spots. I'm playing two teams within my division with inferior records and there's no pressure on me to win because I have already won the division, so it's a nice position to be in. If I win both, I'll finish 11-4 and could put myself in a better position for playoff seeding.

Here are the division leaders right now:
Puntzilla's Barnstormers (9-4)
Evil Empire (10-3)
Orange Crush (9-4)
Bloom and Doom (11-2)

If I could get that #2 seed, I would be thrilled. That's my aim right now.

Best Performer: CB Devin McCourty, New England Patriots

In my 271-194 win, Devin McCourty scored a whopping 35 points on Thanksgiving to give me a great start in the game. McCourty is playing really well right now for New England and pretty much shut down Calvin Johnson in this one. McCourty had one really athletic interception where he jumped high and seized the ball from a waiting Johnson. McCourty has good broken field running ability too, and all those yards are precious in this league. Long may his picks continue!

I went 2-1 this week in my leagues, so I'm a happy camper now. I'm glad that my playoff destiny doesn't come down to the last couple of weeks. The pressure is off, so I can set my lineups carefree and just let my guys go and play.

As always, it's been a pleasure bringing you this update on my dynasty teams. I hope you enjoyed it. I leave you now with a view from my bedroom window as the snow continues to fall in Dublin city.