Fantasy Football Whiz

Week 16 proved to be pretty good for The Litterbox, as we went 2-1 to bring the season record to 29-19. Since this is the last week of the season, we’re going to go with 3 games this week that still has playoff implications.

Eagles (11-4) at Cowboys (10-5): This one is probably the biggest game of the weekend. If the Cowboys win, they go as divisional champs and the Eagles are the wild card because the Cowboys will have won both head-to-head matchups, and they could possible get the #2 overall seed if the Viking s lose to the Giants. If the Eagles win, they not only go as divisional winner, but also secure a first round bye no matter what the Vikings do because of better conference record.

Eagles’ keys: The biggest thing for them right now is to maintain the consistency they have shown over the last 6 weeks, when they have been undefeated. The Eagles are third in the NFL in scoring with 28.6 ppg.

With the recent falters by the Saints and Vikings, they’re probably the best team in the NFC right now. During the 6 game winning steak, they’ve averaged slightly better than 31 ppg while giving up a little more than 21 ppg.

The biggest problem for the Eagles may be giving QB Donovan McNabb protection. He was sacked 4 times and picked twice during the first matchup, a 20-16 Cowboys win in week 9.

The Eagles also just lost starting center Jamaal Jackson last week with a torn ACL, so RG Nick Cole is being moved to center, his first NFL start at that position. The shift of Cole means that the Eagles will be playing with two different offensive linemen this week, something the Cowboys will undoubtedly try to exploit.

RB Brian Westbrook is finally back from after suffering a concussion earlier in the season, but had just 32 yds on 9 carries vs the Broncos last week. The best bet is that the Eagles will look to throw to WR DeSean Jackson (60-1,120-9) and TE Brent Celek (69-875-8) early and often.

Read more: Psychocat's Crystal Litterbox Week 17

With the end of the regular season almost upon us, just thought I’d take the time to offer up a few dubious “awards” as a result of some of the recent activities in the NFL.

5 hairballs and a big ol’ smelly cat fart to: Colts coach Jim Caldwell. With the 14-0 Colts leading the 7-7 Jets 9-3 at the half, Caldwell pulled a lot of his starting offense and let the Jets run all over them in the second half, resulting in a 29-15 win.

Now, I know Caldwell said in advance that he planned on resting players the last two games in what are essentially meaningless games for the Colts. They already had home field secured for the playoffs, and the thinking in Indy has always been that you don’t want to risk injuries to key players in that kind of game.

Still, it sucks. I’m not looking at it considering a perfect season; that’s irrelevant. I don’t even really care about the fantasy football implications, though I’m sure a lot of owners do. But everyone had plenty of chance to prepare for that and adjust their lineups accordingly if they so desired.

No, the reason this really sucks is because of the effect it had on the playoff picture. There were two 8-6 teams and six 7-7 teams going into week 16, all fighting for their playoff lives, and the Jets were one of them.

By pulling his starters, Caldwell gave the Jets an unfair advantage that the other teams didn’t have; they all had to play teams that were TRYING to win for one reason or another. The cheap win the Jets were handed by the Colts gave them a huge advantage: win in week 17, and they’re in.

Read more: Hacking Up Hairballs

The Litterbox took it on the chin last weekend, going 1-2 to make the season record 27-18. This week, we’re going to look at several teams on the fringe of the playoffs in the AFC.

Chargers (11-3) at Titans (7-7): The Chargers have all but wrapped up the second seed in the playoffs with their 27-24 win over the Bengals last week. The Titans have rebounded from an 0-6 start to be back in the playoff hunt, but they need to win out against the Chargers and Seahawks (5-9) to have any chance at all.

Titans’ keys: If they hadn’t gotten off to such a poor start, there might be a lot of talk right now about RB Chris Johnson (301-1,730-11) as a potential MVP candidate. Young has a legitimate shot at breaking 2,000 yds rushing this season, and he’s also been an integral part of the passing game, with 44 catches for 446 yds and 2 TDs.

He leads the team in catches, and is only 1 yd behind WR Nate Washington (37-447-6) for second in receiving yardage. Rookie WR Kenny Britt (40-674-3) has had an impressive debut season, and along with Johnson, gives the Titans a pair of players with breakaway speed.

As good as Johnson has been, the Titans’ turnaround came after former 1st round draft pick Vince Young (1,619-10-4) took over the QB duties from Kerry Collins. In the eight games Young has been the starter, the Titans are 7-1, with the only loss being 27-17 to the undefeated Colts.

During that span, Young has thrown TD passes in all games but one. Young is also a dangerous runner, with 47 carries for 243 yds and a TD. His ability to run also means he doesn’t get sacked very often; he’s been dumped only 4 times.

Read more: Psychocat's Crystal Litterbox Week 16

Cowboys (8-5) at Saints (13-0): For the Saints, it’s another game in their march towards perfection. For the Cowboys, it’s pretty much of a do or die game if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs. The Saints are coming off a couple of close wins against teams they should have beaten more handily, while the Cowboys have lost their last 2, and have divisional games against the Redskins and the Eagles left.

Saints keys: Usually when we talk about the Saints, the focus is on the offense. After all, they lead the league in points scored with 35.8 ppg and are the only team in the NFL averaging over 30 points a game, although the Vikings are close at 29.9 They have the weapons to score at will, and it’s not unusual for them to come back if the other team gets the lead.

Read more: Psychocat's Crystal Litterbox Week 15