AFFL Week 10 Preview

LAST WEEK: 4-2
SEASON: 39-15

I don't want to get off (start off?) on a tangent here, but the start of last night's game was a pretty interesting scene. Not the Seahawks highlighter uniforms, which are unbearably ugly and stupid. It was the moment of silence for the victims of yet another AR-15 slaughter. That's interesting enough since they seem to be bi-weekly at this point. We might as well just leave our flags at half-mast permanently.

Side note: Did I ever mention the semi-heated discussion Gary and I after the San Bernardino shooting? He was worried about ISIS breaking into his house and teabagging his forehead while he slept, and my point of view was that he had a better chance of being killed by a white guy at South Hills Village. Well, I'm currently winning our slaughter matchup 2-1 this season. Hurrah!

Anyway, it's NFL Propaganda Month for "the troops." So there's a moment of silence for the people killed by an Air Force veteran, then Kristen Chenoweth - a vocal LGBTQ supporter and Trump opponent - sings the National Anthem while wearing an Army green Cardinals jersey. With rhinestones studding the numbers on her chest. Then we cut to the sidelines where defensive coordinators are wearing Army green hoodies with fake bars on the left breast. How do we support the troops? With 4 percent of net proceeds from a marketing venture! America!

I'm not quite sure I have the words to express how I feel about all of this. I might need...




At first, I was a little irked about Gary's loud boast (?) that he's ignoring all embedded media in the posts this year. Then I realized that when you've already discovered sonic perfection, why waste the next 27 years listening to anything new? When you're on top of Everest, the only way to go is down.

If you're wondering - and I have no idea why you would be - "More Than Words" has 93 million streams on Spotify. Not as many as some Ed Sheeran song which is over 1 billion, but it's 3 times as many as "Panama", which I think should become the new national anthem.

Seriously though, all of the music is good and all of the clips are funny. If you didn't take 20 seconds to watch Jameis eat his fingers so you could have one small chuckle in this horrible world, fine. Be miserable until you're dead. Me, I'll be chuckling at GIFs in hospice care, going out amused.


TIMMY DOESN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS (4-5) vs. THE DUDE HAS GOT NO MERCY (3-6)
I'm not going to win this game. But I might have had more fun this year trading for picks than I've had actually competing in past seasons. It's like when I play Grand Theft Auto and have more fun doing the side missions than the actual story. Although I've landed so many picks next year - 6 in the first 2 rounds! - that there will be a lot of pressure to build a good team in 2018.

Which I'll then trade for more picks.

THE PICK: TDHAF 71 - TDHGNM 50


THE NATIONAL RAZOR (5-4) vs. THE NIGHT BOYS (3-6)
When Gary approached me about Hyde on Monday, he warned that if I wrote anything about it, all trade talks were immediately off. Off, he tells ya! After the deal was completed, he said I was free to tell everybody how I got the better of him. But I think it was just a regular good deal. Hyde is good, still under contract, and definitely better than anybody Gary would've taken with that pick anyway.

Anyway, this game. Did you realize that Barker has 3 Cowboys, 3 tight ends, 2 kickers, and 2 defenses? This is just a bizarre roster. And still, I'm not 100% convinced Gary will win this game. Both Dez and T.Y. might miss the game, and there's nobody great on the bench to sub in. Kamara and Thompson both face good defenses, and Hyde and Jones should be good this week, but how many times has "should" fizzled out in the past 368 days?

Freeman has been a bust, Cooks won't score against Denver...I guess the difference will be a garbage time DST TD for the Panthers on Monday night.

THE PICK: TNB 83 - TNR 80


ASSTANNER (6-3) vs. LITTLE BABY JESUS (4-5)
Not sure what's more hilarious. Chris losing Zeke and his chances at a threepeat, or Jerry Jones being willing to blow up the entire NFL because Gooddell dared to suspend one of his guys. Speaking of the NFL, we're clearly past the peak. Two years ago, both fantasy football and the NFL were at their peaks. Everybody was joining in, like the poker boom. But also like the poker boom, a bunch of people have taken stupid losses, become disillusioned and quit. The NFL is no longer inevitable.

And what about this game? Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Jacoby Brissett? This is supposed to be fun? Semi needs this win to stay in the playoff race This is like an all-in with 4-4 against J-10 off suit.

Damien Williams, Corey Davis, and Ted Ginn? My word.

THE PICK: AT 85 - LBJ 47


THAT KANGAROO STOLE MY BALL (5-4) vs. THE WHITECHAPEL RIPPERS (3-6)
Bri asked me what DeSean would cost this week, and I told him a 5th. Before he responded to me, he picked up Terrence Williams. Then he told me both Williams and Jackson are equally bad, but at least Williams was free. Very insulting stuff.

Look...I mean...look at Bri's roster this year. This roster is FUCKING TERRIBLE. And yet Bri will be 6-4 after this week.

Again, whomever wins the title should feel more shame than pride. This is a terrible, awful, trash, shit year. It'll be like the 2000 Best Album Grammy when Santana and Rob Thomas beat out the Backstreet Boys, Dixie Chicks, and TLC. Meaningless. Worthless.

THE PICK: TKSMB 59 - TWR 55


SIGMUND AND THE SEAMONSTER (7-2) vs. RUSSELLMANIA (6-3)
Carlos Hyde would be Brian's best RB and he used a 1st round pick on Terrelle Pryor, so I don't know what he's going on about.

Here's something interesting. Evan Engram has reached double digits for 3 weeks in a row. He might be better than O.J. Howard, even. I don't like Miller to do much against the Rams stacking the box, so Barker will get nothing from his backs. Tim, on the other hand, should get some nice, nice points from Coleman, Ingram, and Howard, so let's go on ahead and just give him the win.

Two weeks in a row Tim had to face a top team for control of the #1 seed, two weeks in a row Tim comes out on top. Truly, this is the year of Tim!

THE PICK: SS 86 - RM 73


WTTK? (4-5) vs. ANIMAL HOUSE (4-5)
I thought Bilal Powell looked pretty lively last week. He could be really good on the right team. That's the only good thing I can think of for McCamey this week. As hard as it is to believe, the team with Sterling Shepherd and Paul Richardson at WR is not going to win this week. Le'Veon Bell might win this game by himself.

THE PICK: AH 71 - WTTK 50