Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Fantasy football rarely extends beyond the NFL's regular season, but a new contest sponsored by Ford will carry the concept well into January and clear to Super Bowl XXXIX.
Fordfootball.com invites fans to sign up for its Fantasy Football Postseason World Championship, which will allow competitors in January to draft players from a pool of playoff teams, adding a twist to the standard fantasy model.
Do you value a good player from a great team higher than a great player from a good team? Who would you pick first: Peyton Manning , who might throw four touchdowns but be out in the first round, or Donovan McNabb , who is more likely to give you more solid games?
Two randomly selected contestants will square off against winners of other Web sites' regular-season leagues as well as country singer Toby "I'm a Ford Truck Man" Keith for the championship and a new truck.
But I'll offer a caveat. Florida's laws concerning winnings from fantasy contests are restrictive, and while this promotion doesn't specifically veto Floridians in its fine print, we're often covered by the "void where prohibited" language. So if you play, do it for fun and not with the hope of getting a truck for which you're ineligible.
To enter the contest, you have to fill out a free online registration, which begs the question: Why, on a scroll-down menu to fill in "state," if you type in "F", does it offer up the Federated States of Micronesia? Our grand state may yield to its alphabetic priority, but really, how many Micronesians are playing fantasy football?
It's the same with "country" and having to give way to Uganda. As a global superpower, can we not pull rank and make them scroll down instead?
SORRY, WHO?: If you had Carolina running back Nick Goings or Buffalo tight end Mark Campbell in your starting lineup last weekend, well, why? Sure, both had three-touchdown games, but there wasn't reason to expect either.
Campbell didn't have a catch in the previous three games, but his three scores make him the ninth tight end this season with five or more touchdown receptions. As for Goings, he's a fantasy option only if you're truly desperate - he hadn't topped even 50 yards before Sunday, and one strong week doesn't make Carolina an offense to invest in.
One waiver pickup who could help is Tennessee's Antowain Smith , who filled in for Chris Brown and had 95 yards and a touchdown. Smith had 88 yards all season before Sunday, but until Brown is healthy, the Titans will count on Smith as a primary back.
THIS AND THAT: If your league counts kick returns as defensive touchdowns, as many do, then Detroit has been a great investmentbecause of returner Eddie Drummond . Only Baltimore, with five defensive scores, has more this season. ... Last week we lamented the way the league's top quarterbacks have kept their star running backs out of the end zone, and one reader asked why McNabb wasn't mentioned. The Eagles passer shared the wealth with running back Brian Westbrook on Sunday, connecting with him for two touchdowns. ... For anyone still hanging on to Dallas' Eddie George in your starting lineup, don't confuse loyalty with self-destruction. With rookie Julius Jones seeing his first action, George likely won't see significant playing time again, and there's very little in Dallas that merits any fantasy consideration.
- If you have a fantasy football question or comment, send an e-mail to staff writer Greg Auman at auman@sptimes.com