A couple of big upsets last week thinned the field in both football survivor pools a little more, the culprits being the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. More people picked the Steelers than the Bengals in the original survivor (you guys were saving the Steelers, weren’t you?), and more people picked the Bengals than the Steelers in second half survivor.
All in all, eight departures brings us down to 14 still alive in the original, and four are already through to next week with the Dallas Cowboys win over the Oakland Raiders yesterday during a very ho-hum U.S. Thanksgiving Day NFL schedule.
We lost five in the second half, also bringing us down to 14. These pools seem to like to keep pace with each other, don’t they? One person picked Dallas, and one picked the Green Bay Packers over the Detroit Lions in the early game Thursday.
Those people can sit back and relax and cheer on the upsets this weekend. As for the rest of you, we’ll need a pick in the pools prior to opening kickoff on Sunday. This week I’m going with the Bengals as my top pick, followed up by the Eagles. You can read why I’m backing those teams over at BleacherReport.
Does anyone want to play Fantasy Throwdown? If that sounds even mildly intriguing, send me an email and I’ll shoot you back a challenge.
Remember to get your survivor pick in before 1:00 Eastern on Sunday, and good luck this week!
Yikes, massacre in the very first week of Hockey Survivor II! We only had 13 willing to throw caution to the wind and try to predict the highly unpredictable NHL, and just 5 lived to make a pick this week. We’re thinking a double knockout system might be in order for the next hockey survivor pool.
John did hit on two of his three picks last week, even though he himself unfortunately used the wrong one for his pick in the pool. The games look tough again this week but here are my top three best guesses.
Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 PM, Saturday) – The Kings have cooled off some after a hotter than expected start. They are 5-5-0 in their last 10, currently riding a 2 game losing streak. They’ve also been mediocre at home, with just a 5-4-1 record. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, look like legit Stanley Cup contenders, and are winners of 7 straight. Chicago also won the only two meetings between these two teams this year by a decisive 4-1 margin. Add Marian Hossa to the mix, and the Hawks look downright scary.
Prediction: Hawks win 5-2
Calgary Flames at Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 PM, Saturday) – The Flames were downright embarrassed at home by the Blackhawks in a 7-1 drubbing, and have looked like a team on a mission since. They beat the Kings decisively, and then fell victim to a stellar performance by J.S. Giguere in a shootout loss to the Ducks. Mikka Kiprusoff has been very sharp in both games since the blowout, and playing on the road doesn’t bother the Flames one bit; they’ve lost just once in regulation as the visiting team.
The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, are losers of 3 straight, and have been getting very suspect goaltending. Look for the Flames to light the lamp early and often in this one.
Prediction: Flames win 4-2
Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres (7:00 PM, Saturday): If you’re a Canes fan, then today’s news that Eric Staal was taken off the IR was certainly a relief. If you’re a Canes fan, that’s also about as far as you should read. The rest of this blurb isn’t kind.
Before going on the IR, Staal had an abysmal 5 points in 13 games. He’s never been a fast starter, and coming off the IR certainly isn’t going to help his cause any. Mr. Staal also rejoins a team that has yet to win even a single game on the road.
The Sabres, on the other hand, have been dynamite at home, posting an impressive 7-3-2 record. My only worry with this game is that Ryan Miller might get the night off.
Prediction: Sabres win 3-1
 Last week the NFL provided us with several games that were just like most of us predicted, except the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs spoiled the party. With two absolutely unpredictable upsets, these two teams shook up the AFC playoff race.
This week kicks off with the annual Thanksgiving Day games. Of course the Cowboys and Lions are playing, and in the night game the New York Giants take on the slumping Denver Broncos.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
The Packers and Lions get this week’s games started with a very familiar Turkey Day game. It seems as if these two teams always meet on Thanksgiving. The Lions are coming off what is most likely the most exciting game of the year, as Matthew Stafford led the Lions down the field and a game winning touchdown with no time remaining. However, Stafford and Calvin Johnson, who had a career day, are most likely too banged up to even play this Thursday. With the Packers getting their offense going this one shouldn’t be close. Use the second half of this game to mingle with family.
Prediction: 38-14 Packers.
Fantasy Player to Watch: Aaron Rodgers – 300+ yards, 4 TD
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys
The ‘Boys survived a scare last week as they were held scoreless once again until the two minute warning. Tony Romo was able to put together a final drive and scramble away from pressure to find Patrick Crayton for the winning score. One good note is that Dallas’ defense played extremely well. The Raiders are coming off their best game of the year having knocked off the Bengals. Bruce Gradkowski stepped in and seemed to be in rhythm with his receivers. I expect these two to duel to the end on Thursday, with the Cowboys coming out on top, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raiders pull off another upset.
Prediction: 28-17 Cowboys.
FPTW: Tony Romo – 260+ yards, 2 TD
New York Giants at Denver Broncos
Eli Manning and the Giants came out of their bye week shot from a cannon but then slowed in the second half before turning it on again in overtime. Manning looked like the elite quarterback he is, and Brandon Jacobs got the Giant running game going again. The Giants trio of young receivers doesn’t seem to be playing like they are young. They are going to have to continue to play like vets this week against the strong Denver pass defense. The Broncos can’t seem to get any kind of offense going these days and it’s taking a toll on their defense.
Prediction: 24-10 Giants.
FPTW: Steve Smith / Mario Manningham – 70+ yards, TD
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have played really well despite losing a few of their past games. Matt Ryan continues to move the ball with or without the help of Michael Turner. Jason Snelling has stepped in and provided some running game help. The Falcons defense hasn’t played too well but has been playing very good competition. The Bucs on the other hand are still struggling to stop anybody. Expect Ryan and the Birds to roll the Bucs on Sunday.
Prediction: 31-13 Falcons.
FPTW: Jason Snelling – 100+ yards, TD
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
The Dolphins got a huge lift from Ricky Williams last Thursday in his return to the starting role as Ronnie Brown is lost for the year. Williams hung 3 scores on the Panthers defense and looked like the Heisman Trophy winning back from Texas. The Dolphins defense also looked strong making big plays when they needed to. The Bills are coming off a very well played game despite losing in the waning seconds. It appears that interim quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has found a weapon in Terrell Owens. I don’t think Buffalo has enough to stay around in this one.
Prediction: 28-10 Dolphins.
FPTW: Ricky Williams – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals offense sputtered against a weak but physical Raiders defense. The Browns pose no threat this week, as they gave up 38 points and 420 yards passing to the Lions last week. Carson Palmer should get back on track if the Bengals are going to prove they are a contender. Another slip up and the Steelers or Ravens will be there to pounce. Brady Quinn had a very good day on Sunday but that was against the Lions defense. He will have fits against the Bengals secondary.
Prediction: 35-6 Bengals.
FPTW: Carson Palmer – 280+ yards, 3 TD
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
I was one hundred percent sold on the Rams taking this game. They are coming off a few very competitive games and Steven Jackson has turned into a man possessed. Then it was announced that Marc Bulger is out with a broken fibula. Kyle Boller is not the quarterback that Bulger is. Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks have played awful recently but have found a few explosive bench players. Justin Forsett is poised for a monster game against the weak Rams defense.
Prediction: 30-21 Seahawks.
FPTW: Justin Forsett – 60+ yards rushing, 50 yards receiving, TD
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets
This is the game I had the most trouble with. Jake Delhomme is different every week, much like the Jets defense. If Delhomme can get it together and help out the Panthers running game then they can earn the win. DeAngelo Williams continues to have big game after big game, so we shouldn’t expect anything less. The Jets have been gashed on the ground this year and lately have been gashed through the air. If Mark Sanchez continues his poor play, Rex Ryan will be doing plenty more crying.
Prediction: 28-21 Panthers.
FPTW: DeAngelo Williams – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
The Redskins defense showed that they can be torched through the air but several dropped passes limited the Cowboys in doing so. DeSean Jackson is one of the best deep threats in the league. Every single week he continues to get open behind the defense, and when they protect it, Donovan McNabb finds other receivers open. Jason Campbell reminds me a lot of the new Jay Cutler, afraid to take any chances, and that may be the only way to beat the Eagles.
Prediction: 34-14 Eagles.
FPTW: DeSean Jackson – 100+ yards, TD
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
This game was very close a few weeks ago coming down to a late missed field goal to decide it. The Colts are just finding ways to win lately, as they appear to be getting the best game from everyone. The Texans stay in every game with Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton posing huge threats. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Texas snapped the Colts winning streak but Houston is just one and fourteen career versus the Colts.
Prediction: 31-21 Colts.
FPTW: Reggie Wayne – 100+ yards, TD
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers
It appears Larry Johnson really was the cancer that was bringing the Chiefs down. They have been playing really well since his departure and the first game he plays with Cincy they fall to Oakland. I really contemplated taking the Chiefs in this one but the way LaDanian Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers have been playing lured me otherwise. Tomlinson needs just 90 or so yards to jump from 12th to 8th overall on the all time rushing list. I expect his biggest game of the year
Prediction: 27-20 Chargers.
FPTW: Vincent Jackson – 75+ yards, TD
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers
The Jags have pulled out a few close ones in the last two games and probably shouldn’t have had to. Maurice Jones-Drew has slowed down and David Garrard has looked lazy. Frank Gore and the 49ers offense hasn’t shown much more than they have all year. They run the ball a lot and pass when they need to, although Michael Crabtree has really come on for them. Jacksonville will take this matchup via late game heroics once again.
Prediction: 24-20 Jaguars.
FPTW: Maurice Jones-Drew – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans
The Titans have turned into the darlings of the league with a surge led by Vince Young. Young has a career record of 22 and 11 so I have never understood any quarterback controversy. Kurt Warner was hit hard on Sunday and had to leave, if he is not able to play then I would say the Titans win it easily. As of now he is scheduled to play. With all the weapons he has at his fingertips I expect the Cards to take care of the Titans.
Prediction: 31-17 Cardinals.
FPTW: Anquan Boldin – 100+ yards, TD
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Brett Favre is having a career year leading the Vikings to a 9 and 1 record. I would assume it’s pretty easy to pick defenses apart when you can use Adrian Peterson for play-action. Favre has a favorite target in Sidney Rice and he has been ripping up opposing defenses. The Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the league and Matt Forte hasn’t been able to get anything going. Jay Cutler has been awful and now is trying too hard to not throw picks instead of just playing the game.
Prediction: 34-20 Vikings.
FPTW: Adrian Peterson – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
The Steelers are coming off an awful week. They lost the game, backup quarterback Charlie Batch, and had Ben Roethlisberger come down with a concussion. Big Ben should play this week and they will need him to pick his game up if they want to stay in the playoff race. The Ravens have been playing well on defense and not so well on offense. Both teams are looking to bounce back after tough losses so this game has some intrigue. Despite being played in Baltimore, I don’t think the Ravens have enough offense to keep pace with the Super Bowl Champs.
Prediction: 27-13 Steelers.
FPTW: Rashard Mendenhall – 80+ yards, TD
New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints
The Saints will put their undefeated record on the line on Monday Night Football for a very nice showdown with the Patriots. Drew Brees bounced back against Tampa on Sunday and looks to prove himself against the top team of the decade. Tom Brady and the Patriots are looking to shut down the Saints and make sure nobody else goes undefeated. Brady had a huge day finding Wes Welker last week and I don’t see any signs of those two slowing down.
Prediction: 31-28 Patriots.
FPTW: Wes Welker – 100+ yards, TD
Last Week: 13-3
Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!
We are down to just 22 left in our original survivor pool and 19 in the second half survivor pool. How long can these guys – particularly the original pool players – last? It seems like eons since I got kicked out of that pool. Oh yeah, I guess it has been a while…
Last week was not without a few casualties. It is like we’re slowly, excrutiatingly peeling the band-aid off to finally get down to a winner instead of just ripping it off in one swift swoop. A variety of picks, and a few guys drop on an unlikely upset. That is our current M.O.
The main culprit last week, the Denver Broncos, losing to the Washington Redskins and the Ladell Betts show. Just when you thought the Redskins were never going to pull their act together, they knock out Kyle Orton and drop the once darling Broncos for their third straight loss.
JLPejic and good buddy killdemwitit had Denver, along with allie618 on default pick Atlanta (I hate to do it, but it is in the rules) are out in the original pool. brokehydrant and fadeleyp are out in the second half pool. We bid adieu! It was nice knowing you!
On to Week 11, I’m picking the Steelers, Patriots and Cardinals. Has anyone used all three of them yet? Not too many have used the Cards at all, and don’t look now but they are a darn good team. Mind you, I did recommend them back in Week 8 against when they blew it against the Panthers, so you know how this goes… picks are for entertainment purposes only… use at your own risk, etc., etc.
If you are still alive, no matter what team you ultimately decide to pick, make sure to get it in before the 1:00 deadline on Sunday. It is U.S. Thanksgiving next week so if you’re looking ahead, picks for those games will be due before kickoff of the first game on Thursday. Survive Week 11 first though and we’ll see you back here next week.
Coming off a week in which nearly every game was tight until the very end, Week 11 may not turn out the same way. This week holds several less than attractive matchups. We get the return of the Giants and Texans off their byes, and all of the byes are done giving us a full slate of 16 games. A few of the leagues’ elite take on bottom feeders, and the Panthers and Dolphins kick things off for us Thursday night.
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers
If I have learned anything this season, it’s to never bet against a team with more than one stud running back. Ronnie Brown is out. Carolina is at home. DeAngelo Williams is healthy. This one was pretty simple for me. Carolina has one of the top pass defenses in the league and with no element of surprise for Miami, Chad Henne is going to struggle. We shouldn’t count out that Ricky Williams is having a very quiet but great year. Who really knows what may go down on these short week games?
Prediction: 30-17 Panthers
Fantasy Player to Watch: Ricky Williams – 25+ touches, 110 + yards, TD
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions
If you close your eyes and say Browns at Lions the first thing you imagine is bad football with nobody in the seats. I expect several Lions fans to make it to this one. It may be their last chance to win another game this year. Brady Quinn is back at the helm for Cleveland and may even look worse than he did earlier in the year. I don’t see much scoring in this one but Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson should provide enough fireworks to help obliterate last years’ win total and get number 2.
Prediction: 23-13 Lions
FPTW: Calvin Johnson – 100+ yards, TD
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
You never know which Green Bay team will show up. One week they are Super Bowl contenders and the next, not even playoff worthy. San Francisco always shows up the exact same, power running (inside and off tackle), short passing, and solid defense. The stingy Packer defense should contain Frank Gore enough to get a W. San Francisco got away with one last week against the Bears, but don’t expect Aaron Rodgers to hand them the game like Jay Cutler did.
Prediction: 34-24 Packers
FPTW: Aaron Rodgers – 300+ yards, 3 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Since the release of Larry Johnson, the Chiefs have played well. Matt Cassel seems to be settling into the offense and the surprise play of University of Texas alum Jamaal Charles has steadied that run. Their team will deal with another huge set back as leading receiver Dwayne Bowe sits the next 4 games. The Steelers are looking to rebound from another disappointing loss to Cincinnati. The last time they fell to the Bengals, Big Ben and the curtain responded with a 10 point thwarting of the Chargers en route to a 5 game run. Expect these Steelers to pull off another string of wins.
Prediction: 38-10 Steelers
FPTW: Rashard Mendenhall – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys came out flat last Sunday and never did get the right balance on offense. Marion Barber and the three headed monster that is the Cowboys running game should have a monster week against the exceptionally weak Washington rush defense. With Clinton Portis out, we still don’t know who will be the primary back for the Redskins or if they will even be a factor. Jason Campbell still has not shown any kind of life in the passing game. Expect the ‘Boys to get back on track heading into their annual Thanksgiving Day game.
Prediction: 37-17 Cowboys
FPTW: Marion Barber – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants
Eli Manning and the slumping Giants got a much needed bye last week. This week they try not to match their early season 5 game winning streak with a 5 game losing streak. The Falcons are in just as big of a hole as they will play without star back Michael Turner. New York’s defense is seriously undermanned but shouldn’t have a problem containing Matt Ryan and a one-sided offense. Expect quite a few yards from Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.
Prediction: 31-21 Giants
FPTW: Brandon Jacobs – 75+ yards, 2 TD
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Saints haven’t played particularly well the past 4 games but remain unblemished at 9 and 0. Drew Brees has just 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in those 4 games. Brees should get back on track this weekend as Tampa doesn’t really have much to offer on defense. The key will remain if the Saints defense can get back to playing well and if they can regain some balance on the offensive side. The Bucs looked great against Green Bay and the first half against Miami until the wheels came off. Josh Freeman will struggle trying to throw around Darren Sharper.
Prediction: 41-14 Saints
FPTW: Drew Brees – 300+ yards, 4 TD
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Maurice Jones-Drew made a lot of fantasy owners unhappy last week by taking a knee instead of scoring the go ahead touchdown. I expect MJD to make up for it this weekend with a monster day against the atrocious run defense of Buffalo. The Bills have allowed 784 rush yards in its last 4 games, including 232 total yards by Chris Johnson last week. MJD is coming into the game rushing for just under 100 per game. The Jags have stepped up on defense for a few weeks and should roll through Buffalo this week.
Prediction: 32-10 Jaguars
FPTW: Maurice Jones-Drew – 150+ yards, 2 TD
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
This game for the past few years has been called a chess match. Peyton Manning makes the first move by calling his audibles for the no-huddle offense and Ray Lewis responds with audibles of his own. Manning and the Colts have gotten the best of Lewis’ Ravens in the past. At the end of the day, I don’t think the Ravens have enough offense to keep up with Indy. Ray Rice is a stud for Baltimore but the passing game has dwindled the past few weeks, and the Colts are just finding ways to win right now.
Prediction: 27-17 Colts
FPTW: Derrick Mason – 100+ yards, TD
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings showed that they are vulnerable last week against Detroit. T.J. Houshmandzadeh and newly discovered spark Justin Forsett had huge weeks and showed Matt Hasselbeck he can trust somebody. Adrian Peterson should have another monster day against a week defense but Seattle should keep the game close. Hasselbeck protects the ball well and the defense should keep Sidney Rice in check. I wouldn’t hold back from starting any Vikings in fantasy, but I have a feeling Jim Mora has something up his sleeve.
Prediction: 31-24 Vikings
FPTW: Adrian Peterson – 100+ yards, 2 TD
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams
Kurt Warner has the Cardinals looking similar to the team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl a season ago. Only difference, Chris “Beanie” Wells has been running like a man possessed. Wells may have all but sealed the starting job away from Tim Hightower, but Hightower seems to be a better receiving option. The Rams played well against the Saints due to Steven Jackson coming into his own. He will see a load of carries again this week but Arizona’s rush defense poses a stronger threat.
Prediction: 42-27 Cardinals
FPTW: Kurt Warner – 330+ yards, 3 TD
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
The first time these teams played, I felt Denver was overrated and primed to disappoint off a big emotional high after beating the Patriots, but Denver scored 17 unanswered points to drop the Chargers. Fast forward to now, Denver has (finally) come back down to earth and looks sloppy on offense. Kyle Orton may not be 100 percent if he plays and that definitely favors the Chargers. We saw the return of the “Lights Out Dance” form Shawne Merriman so maybe he is back. LaDanian Tomlinson also looked like he may have regained his form. Another week of hefty work for LT and the Chargers should bolt.
Prediction: 28-10 Chargers
FPTW: LaDanian Tomlinson – 80+ yards, TD
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders
The Bengals appear to be the hottest team in the league after an 18-12 humbling of the Steelers. Surprisingly, the Bengals are doing it with defense and rushing. Cedric Benson may or may not play but Larry Johnson could step in and provide some tough inside running. Imagine what this guy could do with support and an offensive line. Chad Ochocinco may not need to try his hand at bribing the referees this week; Oakland poses no threat for the streaking Bengals. New starting QB Brad Gradkowski might be able to spark the offense. He can’t be any less accurate than what we’ve seen from JaMarcus Russell.
Prediction: 35-9 Bengals
FPTW: Chad Ochocinco – 100+ yards, TD
New York Jets at New England Patriots
The Jets shocked everyone by stopping Tom Brady and the prolific Patriots offense back in September. Since that game the Jets have gone just 2 and 5 while the Pats have rallied to 5 and 2. Bill Belichick and the Pats are definitely looking to put away the Jets this time. Rex Ryan hasn’t spoken publicly about this game yet and probably shouldn’t. The Jets lost in heartbreaking fashion last week but should have been put away sooner. As long as New England stays away from 4th and 2 in this one, it shouldn’t be much to watch.
Prediction: 38-20 Patriots
FPTW: Tom Brady – 300+ yards, 3 TD
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
The Eagles lost Brian Westbrook for the second time due to a concussion giving LeSean McCoy more playing time and he has looked good. Donovan McNabb passed for a season high 450 yards last week and that doesn’t bode well for the Bears. Teams have been putting up monster numbers on Chicago and it doesn’t help that Jay Cutler keeps opposing offenses on the field. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s time to bring in Caleb Hanie, my high school teammate at Forney High in Texas. Yes I’m biased, but still, I’ll take Hanie and under 5 turnovers. Expect Asante Samuel and the rest of the Eagles’ secondary to have an interesting day.
Prediction: 37-20 Eagles
FPTW: Donovan McNabb – 300+ yards, 3 TD
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
Houston has a good season going and looked really strong against Indianapolis. The Titans have looked even better, similar to last year’s playoff team. Vince Young has really sparked the entire team, but I’m sure it helps when you have Chris Johnson to hand the ball off to. Johnson racked up 232 total yards in last week’s win over Buffalo. This might actually turn into a really good Monday night game. A Tennessee victory and they can get right back into the thick of things in the AFC playoff race.
Prediction: 34-31 Titans
FPTW: Andre Johnson – 100+ yards, 2 TD
It seems like just over a month ago we were starting our first ever NHL survivor pool here at MyOfficePool.ca… What’s that? It HAS been just over a month?! With the wild swings of NHL hockey this season, we learned very quickly that anyone can win (or lose, ugh) a survivor hockey pool on any given Saturday.
Well, with the quick end yet successful first pool in the books, we were all too ready to take another crack at survivor hockey, so we’ve quickly given the green light to a second pool. The deadline to enter is this Saturday at 7:00 pm, so come get in on the action!
This weekend we have a trio of David and Goliath-like matchups, all suggesting picking teams that are playing on the road. Yes, I am fully aware that David ended up slaying Goliath, but for the sake of choosing a survivor pick, we’ll stick with the favourites:
Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers (Saturday at 10:00 pm) – Recent reports have surfaced that Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith are all close to signing contract extensions with the ‘Hawks, which means that you should expect increased production from the trio from now until the signings occur, as they make a final push to boost their value. Are you skeptical that players are that financially-driven? They’re not stupid folks –Toews, Kane and Keith have combined for 14 points over their last 4 games. Chicago’s reeled off 4 straight victories and are 4-1-0 against the Oilers in their last 5 meetings, outscoring them 23-11 over that span. The Oilers on the other hand are in a big slump. Prior to last night’s 6-4 win over Colorado, they had lost 4 straight, and won just once since October 29th. First star Toews, second star Kane, third star… hmm, let’s go with Keith.
Prediction: Chicago wins 5-1
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes (Saturday at 7:00 pm) – The rising Tampa Bay Lightning have gone 6 straight games with a point, which makes them an excellent survivor pick facing the last placed Canes this weekend. The Bolts are receiving some top-notch goaltending (11 goals allowed over last 6 games) and don’t look now but Vincent Lecavalier could be rounding into $85 million form after a 2 goal, 3 point effort Monday in Phoenix. Taking the Lightning this week could be a strategic survivor move, as few people, if any, consider them to be a powerhouse, and using them now would leave you with dominant teams like the Capitals, Blackhawks, and Flyers in later weeks. Of course if you save too many strong teams for the long run and don’t survive long enough to use them, it’ll all have been for not. The agonizing Hurricanes will once again be without Eric Staal and Cam Ward, which should be reason enough to bet against them.
Prediction: Tampa Bay wins 4-0
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday at 7:00 pm) – That’s right I’m picking on those awful Maple Leafs once again. The losers of 4 straight have scored just two goals in each game over that span, and a similar performance Saturday against the surging Capitals simply won’t cut it. After this coming Saturday’s tilt with the Caps, Brian Burke’s Leafs will officially be past the quarter mark of the season, and at best, will find themselves in 29th place. While Phil Kessel has been nothing short of remarkable for the struggling Leafs, the 2010 NHL draft is looking stronger by the day (i.e. Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Cam Fowler) and you just know that “The Deal” with the Bruins will be increasingly scrutinized as the season wears on, particularly if the Blue and White’s woes continue and they remain in the lottery. Washington’s Semyon Varlamov has been heating up and should get the call in net. The rookie has an outstanding career record of 12-1-1, which means that 93% of the time, he will get you through to the next round in our survivor pool. If only it worked like that. Oh yeah, and that guy named Ovechkin is healthy and in the Caps’ lineup again. From what I’ve heard, he’s a decent hockey player.
Prediction: Washington wins 4-2
Well that was short and sweet, wasn’t it? After a disastrous fourth week in the first ever regular season Hockey Survivor Pool, in which we lost 13 of 18 alive entries on a five different teams, the final five headed into the next week each wondering how long it would take to dispose of the other four.
Not long. Three picked the Los Angeles Kings to knock off the Nashville Predators, in an early game even, 4:00 Eastern, but the Kings dropped 3-1 to the Preds. We bid goodbye to darosa7, John and NickyJ.
Okay then, arseneau and Jmoore are the last two standing. arseneau is looking good picking the Detroit Red Wings to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sure it is Hockey Hall of Fame celebration weekend in Toronto, but of the five inductees, three were former Red Wings – Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull and of course longtime captain Steve Yzerman. Note all three played together on the 2002 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings squad. Sure the Wings would be “up” for this game against the lowly Leafs? Ugh… Wings lose 5-1.
And that brings me to Jmoore. Jmoore didn’t make a pick this week. Per the rules, when an entry does not make a pick by the deadline, then a pick is assigned based on the alphabetical order of teams by city and then team name (so Islanders would come before Rangers). First up for a default pick, the Anaheim Ducks. Was Anaheim playing that weekend? Yes. Did Jmoore use them yet? No. Anaheim it is!
Anaheim was taking on the Phoenix Coyotes, which based on the season so far was not going to be a walk in the park. Anaheim started the season slow, but they had started to turn it around. Would they come through? Yep. They built a 4-0 lead, just about let it slip away in the third period, but held on for a 4-3 win and survivor pool win for Jmoore.
Interesting enough I still haven’t heard back from him. I wonder if he knows he won?
All in all, I think that went pretty well. It was a little shorter than I would have hoped, but it made constantly checking the NHL scores on Saturday nights via the iPhone a necessary if not agonizing experience. I’m willing to roll the dice again, are you?
I’ve set up Hockey Survivor II at the website, and we’ll kick off this pool next weekend, Saturday November 21st. The first game that day starts at 4:00 Eastern. Same format, everyone starts with a clean slate. Get over to the website to sign up, and I’ll get on Iain and John to keep posting their top three survivor picks as well for some extra informed opinion on the matter.
Thanks for participating, and hope to see you in the sequel.
I hate the Packers. How this team goes up against a winless Bucs team with a rookie QB in his first start, and let them come from behind by two scores and win the game is beyond me.
Stupid Packers. They are right on par with the Jaguars at this point in terms of reliable survivor picks. As soon as the final score came across the wire it reminded me that I picked the Packers back in Week 2 of the original survivor pool. And now I’m out in the second week of the second half pool, thanks to the Packers.
Of small consolation, I wasn’t alone. In the original survivor we lost jlockholmes, John, kingryguy and louislipps. Over in the second half pool we lost eaglesrule15, Gerri Attrics, junk, msmithmca and NickyJ. All the losses were on the Pack.
Has anyone noticed we’re losing people out of the second half pool at a faster rate than the original? And of course the original entries have far fewer choices. Maybe that is a benefit. I wonder which pool will extend the longest? We now have 25 still alive in the original and 21 in the second half.
I suspect we’ll still have the majority of players still alive next week. There are some great games on the NFL schedule this week like Bengals-Steelers and Patriots-Colts, but in terms of survivor options there are some big favourites. Namely, Ravens over the Browns on Monday night, Vikings over the Lions and Saints over the Rams.
Those are in fact my three choice picks for the week. I thought about picking one slightly lesser favourite like the Broncos over the Redskins at Washington, but then I thought of the Packers… argh… and I decided to stick with the safe(r) picks.
If you are still alive, congrats. With the start of Thursday games effective last night – and what a barn burner that was – note you can make a pick for a Thursday night game, but the pick must be input into the website prior to kickoff of that game. Otherwise, your pick is due prior to the normal deadline, 1:00 Eastern on Sunday.
I’m going to try to make this recap short and sweet, since I’m currently on the road to meet my parents and deliver my kids for the weekend. Freedom for the weekend. Woo-hoo!
I am a little behind today because I started the day adding injury report info to our football depth charts, which is a nice feature if I do say so myself.
Okay, so survivor pool. I mean, survivor pools as of last week, when we kicked off the Second Half Survivor Pool to go along with our original Football Survivor Pool.
We started with 32 in the original, but lost rydel, Sideshow Bob and Team Dahlgren with the Arizona Cardinals laying an egg against the Carolina Panthers. Five INTs for Kurt Warner? We expected that from Jake Delhomme, not the other way around. Now just 29 carry on for the $1,600+ (talk about sweet) prize.
Over in the second half pool, we got 33 entries signed up, but lost 6 right off the bat. Four with the Cards – DiMuzio, DonS, fadeleyp and NickyJ – and 2 with the Lions – Buffalo Mudwings and cbob9999.
I feel a little bad about Buffalo Mudwings, a.k.a. Chris Prospero, because I more or less dared him to pick the Lions after he said on Tony Ricciardi’s Off the Air podcast that he had to stay true to his system picking against the Rams every week. On the other hand, I warned him the Rams were a good bet to win that game outright! So, I don’t feel that bad. Just a little.
As for this week, how are the choices looking? Not great, I’ll tell you that. A number of the dismal teams are off on bye this week, and there are some interesting pick’ems amongst the top teams. After much humming and hawing, I decided to go with the Packers, Seahawks and Falcons.
If you are still alive in either pool (or both, we have a few) then make sure to get your pick in before the 1:00 Eastern deadline on Sunday.
It was inevitable – a mass elimination. We had a rough weekend in the survivor pool that saw all but 5 people eliminated. A slew of injuries that came about Friday had Iain second-guessing his picks on game day. Be sure to check your team’s injury reports Saturday mornings to make sure all their stars will be in the lineup. Fortunately for me, I had already used the Pittsburgh Penguins and they weren’t available for me, otherwise I’d have taken a week 4 exit with many of you.
On the bright side, we have some safer matchups this week. The Washington Capitals against the Florida Panthers seems like an obvious safe pick (taking the Caps of course), but there are no guarantees that Alexander Ovechkin will play (the Capitals are 1-4 without Ovechkin over his 5 year career), and the Panthers are currently riding a 3 game winning streak. The Philadelphia Flyers might also seem like a safe bet matching up against the St. Louis Blues, but groin injuries will keep both Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne from suiting up, so steer clear of this one as well. Here are the picks I’m favouring:
Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings (Saturday at 4:00pm) – The Kings have been an offensively dominant team so far this year averaging 3.36 goals per game (5th in the NHL), while the Preds have struggled with just 2.06 goals per game (29th). Nashville have been a solid team defensively this year, but will be without All-Star blueliner Shea Weber who is nursing a sore foot. The Kings will launch 40 shots at the Preds, and though poor Pekka Rinne will perform admirably, the onslaught of offense will be just too much. Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov will both find the net in this rout.
Prediction: Los Angeles wins 5-1
Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets (Saturday at 7:00pm) – Congrats Leafs’ fans – the Hurricanes are the NHL’s new basement dwellers! Nothing’s going right for the Hurricanes right now. The losers of 10 straight just lost their most dangerous weapon, Eric Staal, for two to four weeks with what’s being called an upper-body injury. Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets on the other hand, have been on a tear. Nash has 6 goals in his last 7 games and should keep the blazing pace going against a struggling Cam Ward. The Blue Jackets will strengthen their division lead with two more points in a regulation victory over the Canes.
Prediction: Columbus wins 4-2
Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday at 7:00pm) – With former Wings Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille all in town for their Hall of Fame Induction this weekend, there’ll be no lack of inspiration for the current Red Wings to hand the Maple Leafs yet another defeat. Phil Kessel will find the net for the first time in the blue and white, but penalty trouble will be the Leafs downfall once again. The Leafs might beat the Hurricanes tonight, but their consecutive-games-with-a-point streak ends Saturday at the hands of Pavel Datsyuk and the storied Detroit Red Wings.
Prediction: Detroit wins 3-2
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