Week 12 Notes - Playoff Picture:

NFL - The Rynos magic number remains at two.&nbssp; The StiffArms are still in competition for the NFL title.  The Marauders and Chargers are eliminated.

CFL  - The Assassins magic number remains at two..  The JYDs are in a better position to compete for the CFL title, but KH has been virtually eliminated (will need to win every game AND have the Assassins lose every game AND have the JYDs lose at least one game AND score more points than either team.  The PhatBacks are eliminated.

XFL - The Hooligans' magic number is 3.  The Hitmen need help to beat the Hooligans.  SDS is a longshot to make take the XFL title.  Quiet Storm is eliminated.

Wildcard - Ketchup Hotdog is still the leader.  However, if the Assassins or Hooligans do not win their division, both those teams are in an excellent position to take the wildcard.  The StiffArms have closed the gap to only 18 points, and can make a serious play at the wildcard with another few good weeks.

Both SmackDownSister and the Hitmen are quite close, while the JYDs have fallen back a bit

The Quiet Storm has clinched a spot in the lottery bracket, although their spot is unknown at this time.  No other team is yet decided.

Week 12 Match-ups

	Hooligans (7-4) vs. Hitmen (6-5)
	***Matchup of the week***  This game could decide the champion of the XFL.  The Hooligans have been rolling recently leading the league in points scored in consecutive weeks.  However, injuries that are slowing Curtis Martin and the effect of the expected return of Deuce Staley on Jerome Bettis could cut into their production.  The Hitmen have been remarkably consistent, scoring more than 60 points in each of the last four games.  This week they have excellent match-ups with LaDanian Tomlinson playing against a soft KC defense, Torry Holt playing against a weak Green Bay Defense and Julius Jones back against a Chicago Defense that allowed Edgerin James to rush for over 200 yards in only 3 quarters of work.
	Rynos (9-2) vs. StiffArms (7-4)
	Another critical game - this time in the NFL.  A Ryno win will mean they clinch the NFL and will eliminate the StiffArms while a StiffArm win will prolong their life.  The Rynos had an off-weak last week, but look to rebound with receivers playing against high-scoring teams and their RBs facing each other (makes choosing which game to watch very easy).  The StiffArms on the other hand have a lot of tough games with their top players going up against Pittsburgh (Clinton Portis) and Jacksonville (Daunte Culpepper).  Fortunately they have Thomas Jones back who will be going against the down & out Cowboys.
	Marauders (3-8) vs. Chargers (5-6)
	In a game that could be a Lottery-Bracket Preview, the Marauders take on the Chargers as both teams play for pride.  The Marauders decision between Edge James and Michael Pittman turned out to be no big deal, but they should have sat their top player Ahman Green as he was injured on the first play of the game.  They hope he's going to be back as GB is up against a weak St. Louis defense.  The Chargers saw the return of Deion Branch last week, and will get him straight into their lineup.  Their success depends on Chris Brown though, who is still banged up (like he has been since week 2).
	Ketchup Hotdog (5-6) vs. Assassins (8-3)
	Ketchup Hotdog is sputtering without Randy Moss, and is losing their lead in the wildcard race.  However, a win against the Assassins will give them an opportunity to chase the CFL title.  A loss will eliminate them.  Their top player Tiki Barber will be up against the tough Baltimore Defense, and they also can look forward to Isaac Bruce going up against the weak Green Bay Defense (unless they blitz...).  The Assassins had a terrible week last week, and have some up & down match-ups this week - Fred Taylor vs. a terrible Minnesota defense but Jamal Lewis against a tough New England Defense and Aaron Brooks against a tough Atlanta defense (or Big Ben vs. a tough Washington defense).
	JYDs (6-5) vs. Phatbacks (4-7)
	The JYDs fell off a bit in the wildcard race, but still managed a win and closed the gap with the Assassins.  They have really missed Priest Holmes who continues to be hobbled and may miss an extended period of time. Without Priest in the lineup, they average only 47 points per week (worst in the league).  This week they will have to rely on Marshall Faulk getting more action against the Packers.  The PhatBacks have been putting up some great points the past few weeks (averaging 71 points over the past 4 weeks), mainly due to the record setting pace of Peyton Manning who is crushing records all over.
	SmackDownSister (5-6) vs. Quiet Storm (1-10)
	SmackDownSister has the 2nd highest scoring team over the past four weeks (averaging 77 points per week) and had a down week last week when it was most inopportune.  This week they should be able to get a win against one of the weakest worst teams in the league, and needs the help of the Hitmen to defeat the Hooligans to start making up ground.  Despite McNabb and Davis, holes abound at many positions as they have some terrible defenses in bad match-ups and horrible receivers.  The Quiet Storm could really use a win to chase a better seeding in the Lottery Bracket and may have to add a QB before the start of the week with Pennington (perhaps) out and Testeverde (perhaps) losing his job.

Transactions, Week 12

• Chargers drop Amos Zeroue and activate Dieon Branch

• Hitmen activate Julius Jones and put Todd Heap on the IR

• Assassins drop Reggie Williams and add Chester Taylor for $4

• The StiffArms drop Jeff Garcia and add Koren Robinson for $1

• Quiet Storm adds Nick Goings for $4 and drops Brad Hoover

• The PhatBacks drop Michael Bennet and add Lamont Jordan for $2

• PhatBacks pick up Janikowski (Oak - K) for $1 and drop P. Price (Atl - WR)

• PhatBacks add David Boston and drop the Detroit Defense.

• QS drops Vinney Testeverde and adds Quincy Carter

• SmackDownSister adds Reggie Williams off waivers and drops the San Diego Chargers defense.

Poll

With the season almost done, which team has had the worst luck with injuries & demotions?

Week 12 Results (finals)

	Hitmen 77 Hooligans 70		ROC's Rynos 76 Stiffarms 46		Marauders 111 Chucks Chargers 67
The Hitmen win the big game and move into a tie for 1st place in the XFL. The Hitmen got their running game going this week as their pair or RBs combined for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. The Hooligans maintain a slight lead in the XFL thanks to their total points scored, but waste a great performance by the Dallas Defense who scored 21 fantasy points in the loss.		The Rynos clinch the NFL with a win over the StiffArms. They will play the lowest scoring team in the first round of the playoffs in week 15. Willis McGahee was their top player coming only .05 points short of the record for a RB this season. He had almost 150 yards and scored FOUR touchdowns. The StiffArms had a huge let-down from all players not named "Daunte" as their entire team combined for only 210 yards and no touchdowns.		The Marauders receivers exploded this week. After totaling only 12 receiving touchdowns over the first 11 weeks, the Marauders receivers and running backs caught 8 touchdowns, along with their defense scoring their first touchdown of the year. Waiver wire pickup Jerry Porter lead the way with 135 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns (surpassing his total for 2003 AND 2004). Porter even beat out the Charger's top player Marvin Harrison who scored 3 touchdowns on Thanksgiving day.
	Ketchup Hotdog 84 Assassins 83*		Phatbacks 53 JYDs 48		SmackDownSister 76 Quiet Storm 60
Ketchup Hotdog comes up big on Monday night as Marc Bulger throws for 400 yards and 2 touchdowns while both Javon Walker and Isacc Bruce combined for over 175 yards and two touchdowns.. This wins keeps both KH and the JYDs alive in the CFL race. Their team was lead by a career best 200 yards by running back Rudi Johnson who also scored a TD. The Assassins' magic number remains at two despite a great performance by the Patriots Defense that scored over 20 points for the second time in 3 weeks.		The PhatBacks upset the JYDs and pick up a win, virtually eliminating the JYDs from the playoffs (they now need to win both their remaining games while needing the Assassins & KH to lose both their games). The PhatBacks have now moved into a tie with the KH for last in the CFL. Peyton Manning continues to demonstrate how he's the best QB in the league this year with six touchdowns and over 225 yards while only playing 3 quarters on Thanksgiving day.		SmackDownSister picks up a game on the division leaders, and is now only one game back with two weeks to go. SDS was lead in scoring by their tandem at RB who combined for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and won despite leaving 35 points on the bench. QS continues to have bad luck as their top-paid player Kevan Barlow garnered only 20 yards on the day.

*Actual score was 84.46 for KK and 83.58 for the Assassins