NBD - Week 12 Preview

With eight teams bunched up with either a 5-6, 6-5, or 7-4 record, there's still a lot of work to be done in determining who's gonna make the playoffs and how they're gonna be seeded. This week should be especially interesting since so many teams are playing opponents within a place or two of them in the rankings. Let's take a look:

Stadler & Waldorf (7th, 5-6) vs. CH Croakies (5th, 6-5)
This is a hugely important match-up, at least for my playoff hopes. And if I were to win that'd probably knock Elliott out of the top six, so this is just as important for him. I should also note that after 11 games, our team scoring totals are separated by only half a point. Do you need more convincing that this is a good match-up? S & W is off to a bad start with Hines Ward's 3.7 points, but the rest of my opponents list is a dream: St. Louis, New Orleans, Cleveland, Arizona. I hope Adrian Peterson dies a long, slow death.
Waldorf-Astoria by 4

Pubers and the 'Fro (9th, 5-6) vs. Mephistopheles (12th, 3-8)
This is Colly's chance to climb back into the playoff picture, with what should be an easy contest against league pincushion Mephistopheles. But with the equally awful Dutch Rudders coming at him next week, this is Ray's last chance to "play the spoiler" as he guaranteed he would. It does look like Ray will have a chance at getting one of his first solid RB performances of the year, with Warrick Dunn, who's now the starter in Tampa Bay, going against the porous Detroit run D. And with Drew Brees and Greg Jennings playing in what should be a shootout on Monday night, I think the Chief is ready to make good on that promise.
Mephisto by 6

The Dutch Rudders (11th, 3-8) vs. Woody's Warriors (10th, 4-7)
This match-up has absolutely no playoff implications whatsoever. And both these teams are pretty bad. But our league tends towards parity, and Woody's guys are going up against Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Baltimore. Those are good defenses.
Rudders by 5

$5 Foot Long (2nd, 7-4) vs. Matt Ryan Loves Dogs (1st, 8-3)
This game, on the other hand, features the top two teams in the league squaring off. Last week, Koehler continued his 5-game winning streak to pull ahead of Haller for the first time this season. Surely, both these teams will make the playoffs (MRLD has already clinched), but scoring that first-week bye is huge, and either team could secure it for themselves with a win here. Koehler's already at a disadvantage thanks to TJ Housh's sorry night (2) on Thursday, and Haller's Cutler-Marshall combo going against the Raiders should be enough to put him away.
Foot Long by 9

Wyld Stallyns (4th, 7-4) vs. Burke City Giants (3rd, 7-4)
So we had 1-v-2 and now we have 3-v-4. Truly a marquee day for NBD. Burke City may be in position to call out the Stallyns as posers this week. Though they're an impressive 5-1 in their past six games, DeYoung's guys have averaged only 69 points over the past four weeks. With DeAngelo Williams looking strong recently and Steve Slaton taking on the weak Browns D, this week that lack of scoring could finally bite him in the ass.
Burke City by 9

Lassard Blows Harris (6th, 6-5) vs. Tri Steeg Area (8th, 5-6)
This is yet another big one, as a loss here will likely close the door on a playoff spot for Kex. A win would tie him up, record-wise, with LBH, and they're only separated at this point by 10 total points on the season, so depending on the margin of victory would put him past Papkin or very close to him. LBH has already been disappointed by a meager output from Willie Parker (3.7), and I don't really foresee anything huge coming from the rest of this roster. Even the seemingly unstoppable Q is taking on the Giants, who will probably limit, if not stuff his production. Tri Steeg is gonna need contributions from their senior members, Peyton Manning and Terrell Owens. I think at least one of those guys steps up enough to carry the day for Kevin and muddy the playoff picture even further.
Tri Steeg by 8

Last week: 4-2
Overall: 42-24