The Smoke Has Cleared - It's Playoff Time!!!

After the finale of perhaps the tightest AldenLeague season in its 11-year history, the smoke has finally cleared to reveal the playoff field. Congratulations to C-Men, Fireseed, BountyHunters, Andy's Red Hots, Ice Cold Bruschis, and Most Murderous for making up the 2010 post-season. Also, best of luck to everyone else in the Consolation Bracket in the fight for the #1 draft pick in 2011.
This is your official (and extremely subjective) team-by-team preview of the playoff field, and then a look at this week's Wild Card Matchups. But first, be sure to click here to take a look at some facts and figures about the 2010 season in a special playoff version of Behind the Numbers.

#1 seed - C-Men
(11-2 overall, 6-0 divisional, Westwood Division Champion, 2nd place in points race) It's tough to find statistics that make the C-Men look bad. Perfect divisional record, perfect record against playoff foes, only 5 points back in the points race, tied for the all-time league record for best seasonal W-L result. The team is led by QB Drew Brees, who finished as the 3rd highest-scoring player in all of fantasy football, and has a pair of juicy matchups in weeks 15 and 16 vs. some teams with suspect secondaries. He has been the model of consistency, with only one game this season below 27 fantasy points, and that was back in Week 1. Paired with Joe Flacco, C-Men has two of the top-11 QBs in the league, complemented well by the #1 scoring RB in the league, Arian Foster. Out wide, Mike Wallace neatly fell into his expectations with a breakout campaign, scoring double-digit points in 8 of 13 weeks. The weakness of this team falls at the RB2 position, where LaDanian Tomlinson carried the team through much of the early goings, but has fallen off so much lately that he's being replaced in the C-Men lineup by Mike Tolbert, who has scored single-digit points in 5 of the last 8 weeks on a San Diego team that makes little commitment to the run. That pass-heavy system could benefit C-Men WR3 Malcom Floyd, but that chance is diminished more now with the return of Vincent Jackson. TE Heath Miller has scored double-digit points only once this season and poses little threat. Basically, this team is carried by its stars. That's good, because the stars are strong, but there seems to be little in terms of supporting cast here.

#2 seed - Fireseed
(10-3 overall, 5-1 divisional, Crittenden Division Champion, 6th in points race) The face of Fireseed has changed dramatically throughout the course of this season. Early on they were carried by the hot start of Peyton Manning. During Roethlisberger's 4-game suspension, the team added Mike Vick, only to trade him away for Frank Gore. Roethlisberger came back hot, but then Gore got hurt. They also traded for RB Steven Jackson, who was an excellent RB2 but now shoulders the responsibility of being the top back for the team. Meanwhile, the 2 QBs that carried them for much of the season have cooled off considerably since the early goings, with Manning recently experiencing some much-publicized interception problems, while Roethlisberger has been wearing a boot on his injured foot. In this constantly-swirling season, the WRs have stepped up recently to cover for the QB problems. The combination of rookie Mike Williams, Santonio Holmes, and Wes Welker have combined to score 43, 45, and 56 points during the past 3 weeks. This is a team that has gotten scoring from all of its positions, but in the playoffs it'll be a matter of getting them to all produce at the same time. The balance is there, now the team will be looking for the consistency.

#3 seed - BountyHunters
(7-6 overall, 5-1 divisional, Sandridge Division Champion, 4th place in points race) It's been a choppy and uneven season for the BountyHunters, who've never had a winning or losing streak of more than 2 games all year. While Hank will be hoping that streak doesn't continue (he's currently on a 2-game winning streak going into the playoffs), he should be comforted by the fact that the team put up 186 and 185 points in those 2 recent wins, so the team seems to be peaking at the right time. Statistically, this team is led by QB Tom Brady (4th highest scoring player in AldenLeague) and WR Greg Jennings (who hasn't had a single-digit point game since Week 5), but recently they've been carried by surprise RB Knowshon Moreno. Thought by many to be an injury-prone bust candidate, Moreno shook off a slow start to the season (which was marred by the pass-happy Broncos offense at the time) to put together 20+ point outputs in 5 of the past 6 weeks, and has been looking like a high 2011 draft pick in the process. Moreno's Broncos have 2 soft run-defenses in the fantasy playoffs, vs. 30th ranked Arizona (this week) and 23rd ranked Oakland (in week 15). This team has also been helped by the late-season ACQ of Jacob Tamme, who is putting up decent numbers in replacement of Dallas Clark in Indy. The 2 biggest issues for this team are QB Donovan McNabb, and the WR2 and WR3 combo of Anquan Boldin and Deion Branch. While McNabb hasn't been bad, he certainly hasn't lived up to the potential of a QB who attempts the amount of passes he does. He hasn't attempted fewer than 30 passes since week 4, during which time he's topped 43 attempts four times, and even hit 50 attempts. He's got a tough schedule ahead, playing a tough Tampa pass defense and Dallas and Jacksonville defenses which have been playing inspired ball of late. The danger of the afore-mentioned WR pair is that both play for teams that like the spread the ball among a crowd of wide receivers - they've been hit or miss all year. The BountyHunters also only have 1 single ACQ left on the season, so an injury bug could be a killer.

#4 seed - Andy's Red Hots
(6-7 overall, 2-4 divisional, 2nd place in Sandridge Division, 1st place in points race) 6-7 is a miserable record for the highest scoring team in the league, but the Red Hots get their chance to compete for the AldenLeague trophy with a playoff berth, and they'll be looking to prove that they're a much better team than their seeding. The Red Hots are led by the highest- and lowest- scoring QBs of all playoff teams in Aaron Rodgers (the best) and Jay Cutler (the worst)*. Rodgers has been a rock star, and leads all players in fantasy points. Cutler started strong, and has kept up his potential of blowing up for huge games often, but those get mixed in with the all-too-often bomb - he has recorded games of 11, 14, and -9 points. Both these QBs get to feast on New England's 31st-ranked pass defense during the course of the fantasy playoffs, but the 12th-ranked Vikings and 14th-ranked Jets defenses also lie ahead for Cutler - it'll be interesting to see if he can keep from self-destructing. Also of note on the Red Hots is the WR duo of Calvin Johnson and Percy Harvin, who have nearly identical fantasy point totals and are 4th and 5th among wideouts. There is some concern for each, however - Johnson will need to endure playing with the 3rd string QB Drew Stanton after the highly-effective Shaun Hill ended up on seaon-ending IR, while Harvin missed last week's game due to a lingering migraine issue, must adjust for the return of WR Sidney Rice, and may also be experiencing a QB change in the near future. RB Ahmad Bradshaw faces a tough 4th-ranked Minnesota rush defense this week, but has been riding a pretty good consistent streak lately. Meanwhile, Felix Jones' up-and-down season continues with the revolving door in the Dallas backfield - he hasn't proven to be a big contributor with any kind of reliability. Andy also has the 3rd best kicker in fantasy! Good job!
(*Fireseed's Roethlisberger actually scored fewer total points than Cutler, but he missed 4 games due to suspension)

#5 seed - Ice Cold Bruschis
(6-7 overall, 3-3 divisional, 2nd place in Crittenden Division, 3rd place in points race) Ice Cold Bruschis finished the season on a 4-game winning streak to qualify for the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. However, in those 4 games, their point output has dropped steadily from 221 to 175 to 159 to 122. Despite that drop, the team has been strong enough all year to finish a solid 3rd place in the points race. So is the team looking up or down headed into the postseason? This team is deceiving. Yes, they scored the third most points in the league, but consider where the players rank among their position in terms of fantasy points scored: QBs - 7th and 13th. RBs - 13th and 21st. WRs - 2nd, 15th, and 31st. TE - 4th. K - 10th. DEF - 13th. So, where are all those points coming from? Fortunately for them, the team is getting timely production. WR Dwayne Bowe has exploded from worthless drop-a-holic to unstoppable superstar. Fred Jackson started to shine only after Marshawn Lynch was traded and C.J. Spiller was hurt. Forte overcame a roller coaster season to put together 3 straight games of consistent 20-point outputs. QB Matt Schaub has topped 25 points in 4 straight. But, don't forget the steady points drop over the past 4 weeks. Matt Ryan dropped from 42 and 35 points to 20 and 23 during that time. DeSean Jackson's all-or-nothing production has been more toward the latter lately. And Mario Manningham suffers the un-understandable pass distribution among NY Giants' WRs. So, again, where does this stand? Are they hot or not? Are they a favorite or underdog? I have no idea. It'll be interesting to find out.

#6 seed - Most Murderous
(6-7 overall, 2-4 divisional, 3rd place in Crittenden Division, 5th place in points race) The defending champs come into the playoffs on a 3 game slide, but that should hardly bother them, as they won last year's Fantasy Bowl after eking into the playoffs on a 6-game losing skid. This year's edition starts and finishes on its QB production, as the team boasts 2 signal callers who should be in the conversation for league MVP. Mike Vick and Philip Rivers are both top-10 QBs who have the ability to drop 40 points on any given week, and have done so consistently. If not for his 4-week injury, Vick might be this season's top scoring QB, as his worst game is a measly 28 points, while his average seems to be in the upper 40s. Though Rivers is the higher scoring player of the 2, he's been uncharacteristically average during the past 2 weeks as his Chargers have been imploding. While the return of WR Vincent Jackson could help get him back on track, it's also likely that defenses have keyed in on their "pass first" (and 2nd and 3rd) mentality, so a stronger emphasis on staying committed to the running game could potentially be in the works. Most Murderous also features the top TE in the game, now that Antonio Gates has returned from his injury. Unfortunately, the rest of this team is in disarray. WR Dez Bryant was injured last week and is out for the season. They appear to be starting Dexter McCluster at RB, who only has 3 games in double-digit scoring all year. BenJarvus Green-Ellis has 3 good games in a row, but has otherwise been victim to the Patriots' unpredictable game planning, in which all of its players seem to be featured and forgotten on a random basis, creating highly inconsistent fantasy output. WR Santana Moss no longer is the top receiving option for his team, WR Stevie Johnson is having drop problems, and WR Brandon Marshall only has 3 good games to his credit this year. So, 2 over-the-top QBs, a pair of lower-tier RBs, and a grab bag of WRs? In other words, this is as typical a Puzan team as they come - and the man has 3 trophies to his credit. It might be time to stop doubting his methods.

WEEK 14 MATCHUPS
C-Men and Fireseed - byes. Enjoy your well-deserved stress-free weeks.

#3 BountyHunters vs. #6 Most Murderous
Last Meeting: Most Murderous won 165-135 in week 10.
Injury Report: BountyHunters - none. Most Murderous - Mike Vick has been receiving treatment for a bruised quad suffered last week, but is feeling good and it shouldn't be a problem. WR Dez Bryant broke his fibula last week and is out for the season. It looks as if he'll be replaced in the starting lineup with Brandon Marshall.
Key Matchups: Most Murderous: RB Green-Ellis vs. 3rd ranked Jets rush def. QB Mike Vick vs. 32nd ranked Houston pass def. BountyHunters: QB McNabb @ 2nd ranked NY Giants pass def. RB Mendenhall @ 6th ranked Baltimore rush def.
Key Questions: How will the new Denver coach affect (BountyHunters') RB Knowshon Moreno's role in the offense? Can (Most Murderous) Philip Rivers lead San Diego out of its slump?
Yahoo Projection: BountyHunters win, 153.87 - 138.63

#4 Andy's Red Hots vs. #5 Ice Cold Bruschis
Last Meeting: I.C.B. won 122 - 144 in week 10.
Injury Report: I.C.B. - Joseph Addai continues to be out on long-term injury leave. Red Hots: WR Percy Harvin missed last week's game due to ongoing migraine problems, but it remains to be seen how it might impact his Week 14 availability. RB Ryan Torrain, who hasn't played since Week 8 with a hamstring injury, will practice this week. RB Pierre Thomas has been inactive for 9 straight weeks, but signs are pointing to a return this week, which would force the Red Hots to take him out of the I.R. slot.
Key Matchups: Red Hots: QB Cutler vs. 31st-ranked New England pass def. RB Bradshaw @ 4th-ranked Minnesota rush def. Bruschis: QB Ryan @ 8th-ranked Carolina pass def.
Key Questions: Will the Buffalo offense re-commit to (ICB's) Fred Jackson and the running game after abandoning it early last week? (ICB's) Bowe's fantasy scores the last 5 weeks: 15, 39, 28, 42, 0. Can he bounce back after being shut out? Can Detroit make it enough of a game, or is (Red Hots') Aaron Rodgers in danger of running up too big a lead against the Lions and get relegated to handing it off for the entire 2nd half? How can (Red Hots') Percy Harvin rebound from his trio of issues, including last week's migraine problems, the return of Sidney Rice, and the questions at QB for his team?
Yahoo Projection: Andy's Red Hots win, 153.39 - 133.71

Toilet Bowl
Byes: Stigs, Boys of Summer
Syn City vs. The Skyns
CheektoWojo vs. Tecmo All Stars

Good luck to all!