Out on a Limb -- Surprise! (Week 16)

By James Meyerriecks ("The Mutt") FantasyInfoCentral.com Weekly Columnist

Some try blind guesses by having their pets pick the games each week based on which treat they decide to choose. Others make themselves out to have bizarre psychic nicknames. Still more throw darts at a board and pick whichever team name it lands on... And, yes, there are a few actual experts, but I'm not one of them. Kick off every weekend with "The Mutt" as he tests his skills all season long against a few of our correspondents in the race for the FIC Cup.

Official Fantasy Information Central Cup Standings (Last Week in Parentheses)

* Tim Noakes 120-96-8 (12-4) * Jeff Brown 108-108-8 (7-9) * Chris Wang 103-97-7 (9-7) * The Mutt 103-113-8 (6-10) * Jay Schell 88-112-8 (5-11) * Zach McCann 82-107-7 (7-9 -- Missed Weeks Nine and Ten

OK. You can all lash out at The Mutt. With an extremely busy work week and the fact that The Mutt was a little too focused on waiting for Peter Jackson's latest interpretation of a J.R.R. Tolkien novel, there was no poll for this week's Game of the Week! With several intriguing matchups set to take place this weekend, such as the Packers-Bills, Chiefs-Chargers, Raiders-Broncos, and Steelers-Bucs, it was a tough call as to what we'd go with. It is for this reason that The Mutt has chosen what he expects to be the most overlooked game in terms of importance for the week as his Game of the Week! Oh, by the way, we might as well throw in a little feud between the two as well.

Game of the Week: Cleveland at Baltimore (-2.5)

What's that you say? Assuming that the Steelers don't pull off a miracle in the Big Sombrero this Monday Night, either one of these teams could very well be playing for the AFC North title and a spot in the playoffs next weekend. Heck, if the Ravens emerge as the victors in this tilt, a Bucs win on Monday night would leave them in control of their own destiny as they head into Steeltown next week. Can the young, injury-riddled, overachieving Ravens pull two more rabbits out of their hat and somehow sneak through this division by beating two of the league's biggest underachievers in back to back weeks?

The Browns have been up and down all season. Occasionally, they've looked brilliant against some of the better teams in the league (wins over Tennessee, New Orleans, and the Jets). On the flip side, they've also lost to Carolina and lost at home to this same beaten down Ravens team in October. By winning those two key games, or either of their heartbreaking losses to the Steelers, the Browns would look almost like a playoff lock, but have been as inconsistent as any team in the league. QB Tim Couch runs as hot and cold as any field general in the league, and rookie RB William Green has finally begun to emerge as their back of the future, but it's starting to seem like it's too little, too late.

Brian Billick will have his team ready to go in this one, and Jamal Lewis will be ready to pound the line 30 times as always. Look for the Browns to stay close throughout, and they may just have another shot at a Hail Mary pass like they used to beat Jacksonville a few weeks back, but the Ravens will pull it out in a nailbiter and move onto Pittsburgh with a divisional title in their sights... in a "rebuilding" year. Ravens 23, Browns 20

Lock of the Week: Detroit at Atlanta (-10.5)

The way that the Lock's gone this season, The Mutt hates giving more than ten points (in other words... expect the Falcons to win this one by ten. This one's just too big for the Falcons after last week's disappointing home loss to Seattle. A loss here could mean that the Falcons will have to head into Cleveland and win a game that could knock either team out of the playoffs in the final week of the season, while the hard-charging Giants could be hosting an Eagles team that could have already sewn up a playoff bye and may rest some starters. Assuming that the Falcons show up, they should pounce all over the hapless Lions and may lock up the last playoff spot by the end of the day. Falcons 34, Lions 13

Upset Special: Miami (-3) at Minnesota

What can The Mutt say? The Vikes have been good to him this year in this spot, actually pulling off one real upset in two attempts, and covering in the other game. With a one-game lead in the division over the Patriots and a trip to Foxboro next week, this game means little to the Mammals in their quest for AFC East glory. While a loss here could spell doom for their possible run at homefield, the Dolphins will struggle to stay as focused on this game as they should be. Against an improving Minnesota team that plays well on turf, that spells trap. Vikings 30, Dolphins 24

And now, a few things to think about while they try and work the AFC playoff challengers through the BCS rankings:

Sadly, the Cowgirls have killed any chance that Ron Dayne had of catching his team in the cheeseburger department...

* R.D.C.I. (Ron Dayne Cheeseburger Index): Giants 266, Dayne Cheeseburger Consumption 216 * Number of AFC teams officially eliminated with two weeks to play: 3 * Number of AFC teams still in contention: 13 * Chance that some AFC playoff team will get in based on a tiebreak over four other teams: 2-1

San Francisco (-4.5) at Arizona - After last week's home loss to Green Bay, the Niners are left with little to play for the rest of the way. They are all but assured of the fourth seed in the playoffs. Even with T.O. on the bench for most of this one, they should win in a walk over the reeling Cards, though. Niners 27, Cardinals 17

Philadelphia (-6.5) at Dallas - The Cowboys flat-out quit against a quality Giants team last week. This week, they face the best team in the NFC, if not the league. A.J. Feeley should continue to watch the team around him make him look like a great QB. Eagles 34, Cowgirls 9

Buffalo at Green Bay (-6.5) - Regardless of whether or not the Bills play pretty well in cold weather or not, Brett Favre is much more adept at handling the extreme weather conditions around him than Drew Bledsoe is. The Bills may make a game of this, but they'll be (officially) eliminated from AFC playoff contention as Green Bay eyes a first-round bye. Packers 30, Bills 24

Chicago at Carolina (-3) - The Bears picked a strange and opportune time to show up last week (Lock's of the Week fell to 0-3 against the Bears this season against the spread... 2-1 straight up). The Panthers failed to put up much of a fight against an underachieving Steelers team. Sounds like it might be time to bring the "George Costanza Opposite Lock of the Week" back for one more try. Panthers 17, Bears 13

New Orleans (-7) at Cincinnati - Lock of the Decade: The Bengals will have the No. 1 pick in the 2003 and 2004 NFL Draft - The Saints have a lot on the line here, as they still technically have a shot at catching the Bucs for the NFC South title. More importantly, though, they can lock up a spot in the playoffs with a win against the lowly Bungles, and won't miss out. Saints 31, Bungles 17

New York Giants at Indianapolis (-5) - The Giants luck has finally run out! They'll be facing an AFC team that actually a) Has something to play for... and b) Is actually worthy of a spot in the National Football League. Look for the Giants to be officially eliminated from the playoffs after the Colts dispose of them and the Falcons beat up on the cowardly Lions. Colts 27, Giants 17

Tennessee (-1.5) at Jacksonville - While the Colts hold serve against the Giants, look for the surging Titans, who have dismantled those same Colts and the defending Super Bowl champs in the last two weeks to leave them in a strong position for homefield throughout the AFC playoffs, to have an easy time of it against a Jaguars team that's lost three of its last four. Titans 23, Jaguars 7

San Diego at Kansas City (-3.5) - Both teams are hurting right now, both physically and in the standings. The biggest issue here will be that the Chiefs will be missing just about every offensive player that they have outside of Trent Green and Tony Gonzalez, and that will lead to a predictable attempt to shred San Diego's weak pass defense. If Seau and the linebacking core can help to concentrate on shutting down the Tight End and help to blanket some of the backup receivers that the Chiefs throw out onto the field, the Chargers should set themselves up with a great shot at the playoffs with a home game against the Seahawks next weekend. Bolts 27, Chiefs 24

Houston at Washington (-6.5) - Two solid defenses... two of the more pathetic offenses in the league. Look for Houston to get a few more than 47 yards in this one, but expect the Redskins to win out in a battle of the place kickers. Redskins 12, Texans 6

St. Louis at Seattle (Pick'em) - Marc Bulger went to 6-0 as a starter last weekend, but seriously! An ailing Marshall Faulk may bust through the Seattle defensive line a few times in this one, but the Seahawks should be able to build a little momentum after their stunning win in Atlanta last weekend. The Rams will be disappointed to find that they're not scheduled to play the Cardinals sixteen times next year. Seahawks 31, Rams 27

Denver at Oakland (-3.5) - After blowing a huge chance to separate themselves from the pack last weekend, the Silver and Black should see Rich Gannon return to form this week and dismantle the Broncos again. The Broncos put themselves in a great position to make the playoffs with last week's Mile High win over the Chiefs, but they'll have to beat up on the Cardinals next weekend and hope for a little help to get in. Raiders 34, Broncos 23

New York Jets at New England (-3.5) - The Jets looked like they were ready to make a serious run at the playoffs until they failed to show up in Champaign last weekend. The Patriots may have gotten smoked in Tennessee last weekend, but all they have to do is win out at home and they're back in as the AFC East champs. One miscue against the Jets or Dolphins, and they could be on the outside looking in. Expect Belichik to have his boys prepared for this one. Patriots 24, Jets 17

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay (-4.5) - This game's huge for both teams, and each could clinch their division with a victory here. Neither defense will let the other team get much going, but the Bucs should use the homefield and the best pass (and overall) defense in the league to keep Tommy Maddox from getting on track at all. One touchdown may be all it takes in this one for the Bucs. Bucs 16, Steelers 9

On the Year Lock of the Week: 4-8-2 Upset Special: 6-9 Game of the Week: 7-8

Article courtesy of Fantasy Information Central.

The predictions made here each week do not represent the views of everyone on eSports or FIC and should not be used for gambling purposes.