The Ride Finally Ends For The Community Fantasy Football Team

After a season of nail-biting wins, excruciatingly close losses, and just barely edging into the last playoff spot, the wild ride that was the Community Fantasy Football Team finally came to an end this week. Undone by big performances from Brandon Marshall, LenDale White, and Willie Parker from Susan's Dawg Pound (and underwhelming numbers from our own TJ Houshmandzadeh and the Dallas Cowboy defense), team Chatter Blog has finally been eliminated from the playoffs.

But despite the disappointing result, it's been a heck of a fun season. Thanks to everyone who voted every week on who should play, and all those who sent me emails about the team throughout the year. This was a hugely entertaining experiment (how often can you say you were playing fantasy football for work??), and we're already thinking about how we can improve - and WIN - next year. Oh, and if you have any ideas on other sports or games we could play as a Community like this, we're all ears - email us at chatterblog@ebay.com.

We're in the Playoffs! Now Help Keep Us There

It's better to be lucky than good! Not only did the Community Fantasy Football Team eke out a victory over Community Development head Rachel Makool's eponymous Rachel9ers last week, but two other teams fighting for the last playoff spot lost. That means we're in as the 8th seed, squaring off against top-ranked Susan's Dawg Pound (an homage to her beloved Cleveland Browns).

It's more important than ever that we get YOUR help in deciding who should play this weekend. RB Steven Jackson, WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, TE Jason Witten, K Matt Stover, and the Dallas Cowboys D are locks, but we need you to determine who starts at QB and the other RB and WR positions. To vote, visit the Chatter discussion board and find the polls on the right-hand side. Just click on "More Polls" to see them all.

It won't be easy. The Pound boasts a fearsome lineup of QB Carson Palmer, WR Terrell Owens, WR Brandon Marshall, WR Devery Henderson, RB Willie Parker, RB LenDale White, TE Tony Gonzalez, K Nate Kaeding, and the New England defense. But the momentum is on our side - vote now!

It's Do or Die - We Need YOUR Help to Get Into the Playoffs

It's crunch time! This is last week of the regular season for the Community Fantasy Football team, and we're fighting to keep our season alive. Win, and we have a good shot of sneaking into the playoffs (although we need one of two other teams to lose).  Lose, and the magical ride of this season is over. So it's only fitting that we're matched up against Rachel Makool (head of Community Development) and her Rachel9ers squad in this must-win contest.

We're off to a good start following solid performances last night by TE Jason Witten and the Dallas D, and an ok-but-not-terrible night from WR Donald Driver - and got even more help when Green Bay's D and WR James Jones, both of whom Rachel has, had off-nights. But we're far from a spot where we can breathe easy. As always, we need YOUR help to tell us who should start for our team this weekend. Vote for who should start at QB, at RB (alongside Steven Jackson) and at WR (with TJ Houshmandzadeh) by going to the Chatter discussion board and looking for the polls on the right-hand side. Just click on "More Polls" to see them all.

In case you want to follow along this weekend, Rachel is also starting QB David Garrard, RB Frank Gore, RB Edgerrin James, WR Plaxico Burress, WR Joey Galloway, TE Chris Cooley, and K David Akers. It's the playoffs or bust -vote now!

Thanksgiving Fantasy Football - Help Us Avoid the Turkeys

I love Thanksgiving football. My whole family is a bunch of Packer Backers (the byproduct of both parents being from Wisconsin), so I'm excited that I get to watch them again tomorrow morning. But the short week means that we need your votes NOW for who the Community Fantasy Football team should start this week. As usual, we're going to start a few players for sure (RB Steven Jackson, WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, assuming his injury isn't serious, TE Jason Witten, K Matt Stover, and the Dallas D), but need you to tell us who else should fill out our QB and other RB and WR positions. The Community team is currently on the outside of the playoffs looking in, so vote now by visiting the Chatter discussion board and looking for the poll on the right-hand side of the page. Click "More Polls" to see all of them.

We're going up against the Frisco Fighters, run by a San Francisco loyalist in our HR department. He's throwing out a lineup of QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Clinton Portis, RB Joseph Addai, WR Greg Jennings, WR Lee Evans, WR Andre Johnson, TE Kellen Winslow, K Shayne Graham, and the Pittsburgh D, so they're a formidable squad. But help us choose our lineup wisely, and get us back in the playoff hunt!

It's Week 11 - Time to Kick it up a Notch!

You might remember last week the Community's Fantasy Football team took on my team, the Dawg Pound. Due in large part to a stellar performance from Terrell Owens, my team squeaked out a win by a mere 7 points. What does this mean?  It means that this week, the Community team really needs a win if there is any hope of making the playoffs!  The Community team is currently 3-7, and this week takes on an opponent that is 6-4. 

The opponent is a formidable one, with a lineup that includes QB Kurt Warner, WR Chad Johnson,  WR Andre Davis, WR Steve Smith, RB Chester Taylor, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, TE Vernon Davis, K Jason Hanson, and the Minnesota D.  The Community team will be starting TE Jason Witten, K Matt Stover, and the Dallas D.  The starting lineup at quarterback, running back and wide receiver is up to you!  Come on, it's almost "win or go home" time and this week is crucial to keep playoff hopes alive!  Check out the Chatter Discussion Board and let us know who should start at QB, RB and WR by voting in the polls on the right side of the page.  As you know, "it's better when you win it'", so let's get a win this week!

Help the Community Fantasy Team Beat Susan

Did Ben Roethlisberger ever get me off the hook last week. If he hadn't gone wild and thrown 5 touchdown passes on Monday night, my team would have gone down in flames to the Community Fantasy Football team. I told you guys to take it easy on me last week! But I'm asking that no such quarter be given this week, as we're taking on my colleague Susan. She's a huge Browns fan (her team is the aptly-named Dawg Pound), but more importantly, she's in first place in the league. This is our chance to knock her off her perch.

The lineup she'll be throwing out is quite formidable, including QB Carson Palmer, RB Willie Parker, RB LenDale White, WR Terrell Owens, WR Anquan Boldin, WR Devery Henderson, TE Tony Gonzalez, K Nate Kaeding, and the Washington D. But for the first time in awhile, the blog team isn't facing any bye week issues, and will have their full complement. That means we need YOUR votes on who should start at QB, WR, and RB (to go with TE Jason Witten, K Matt Stover, and the Dallas D). To vote, look for the polls on the right-hand side of the Chatter discussion board, and click the More Polls link.

Help The Community Fantasy Football Team Beat Me

This is the showdown we've all been waiting for. The Community Fantasy Football Team takes on its most arrogant, vicious, and arguably best-looking opponent yet.....me! (Disclaimer: the "best-looking" label was only applied by my mom, back in second-grade). My team is currently sitting in 6th place, with the Blog team hanging onto the 8th and last playoff spot.

I'm getting a little lucky this week in that the Community's regular Running Backs, Steven Jackson and Brandon Jacobs, and QB Eli Manning are all on bye, but they need YOUR help to pick who should fill out their WR spots. Just don't try too hard. They'll otherwise be going into battle with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Justin Fargas, RB Julius Jones, WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, TE Jason Witten, K Matt Stover, and the Dallas Cowboys D.  To vote, look for the polls on the right-hand side of the Chatter discussion board.

My team will be countering with a lineup of QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Brian Westbrook, RB Willis McGahee, WR Reggie Wayne, WR Brandon Stokley, WR Larry Fitzgerald, TE Owen Daniels, K Nick Folk, and the Baltimore Ravens D. Get your vote in soon, and help beat me!

Help Us Get Back to .500

Last week the Community Fantasy Football Team was dealt a setback, getting crushed by Rebuilding Year (who benefited from the fireworks show Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and the rest of the Patriots put on against the Dolphins last week to score 173 points, which is insanely high in fantasy football). We also had quite a bit of bad luck - the Blog team scored 102, which would've been good enough to beat anyone but Rebuilding Year. Oh well, such is the fickle nature of fantasy football.

We're now sitting at 3-4, and are looking to even our record against Willie Beeman (a misspelled reference to Jamie Foxx's character in Oliver Stone's football epic Any Given Sunday), run by Jason in our HR department. Both teams are having some bye week problems, but he can still throw out a solid lineup of QB Derek Anderson, WR Jerricho Cotchery, WR Braylon Edwards, WR Ike Hilliard, RB Fred Taylor, RD DeShawn Wynn, TE Heath Miller, K Adam Vinatieri, and the Colts D.

The Blog team will be starting WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, RB Brandon Jacobs, TE Donald Lee, K Robbie Gould, and Denver's D for sure, but we need YOUR help to figure out who should play at QB and our other RB and WR spots. To vote, just visit our polls on the Chatter discussion board on the far right. To get to all the questions, just click on More Polls.

.500, here we come!

In the Playoff Hunt - Help Keep Us There!

The Community Fantasy Football Team came up with a big victory last week, 83-52 over the Nihilators. Not only did that even out our record at 3-3, it put us right in the thick of the playoff race (in fantasy football, it's never too early to start thinking playoffs). This week we're matched up against a Patriots-heavy Rebuilding Year squad. Don't let the pessimistic name fool you - they've been quite the juggernaut, thanks to New England deciding they want to win every game by 21+ points. They'll likely be starting a lineup of QB Tom Brady, WR Randy Moss, WR Wes Welker, WR Santana Moss, RB Reggie Bush, RB Marshawn Lynch, TE Dallas Clark, K Lawrence Tynes, and Seattle's D.

We need YOUR help to fend off this rampaging beast, especially while our stud Running Back Steven Jackson is still on the mend. Due to bye weeks our WRs are set (consisting of TJ Houshmandzadeh, Roddy White, and Shaun McDonald), and we'll be starting RB Brandon Jacobs, TE Jason Witten, K Robbie Gould, and the Dallas defense for sure. But you can help us figure out who to start at QB and at the other RB spot. Just look for the polls on the right-hand side of our Chatter discussion board - click on "More Polls" to see them both.

Help Our Week 6 Lineup!

The Chatter Blog Community Fantasy Football Team (or CBCFFT for easy pronunciation) is at an important point of the season. We're 2-3 so far, placing us 9th in a league of 12. Fortunately, the top 8 make the playoffs so we're well in this thing - but we need to pick up a few wins, and soon, to start feeling a little more comfortable. We need YOUR help with Week 6 - help us pick our starting lineup as we face off against Normant's Nihilators (run by my personal fantasy sports nemesis Mike Normant). We'll be starting WR TJ Houshmandzadeh for sure, as well as RB Brandon Jacobs, TE Jason Witten, K Robbie Gould, and Jacksonville's D, but the QB, and other RB and WR spots are wide open. To vote, visit the Chatter discussion board and look for the poll on the right. Once you've put in your QB vote, click on More Polls to see the rest.

The Nihilators come in with some bye week issues, but still can throw out a good lineup consisting of QB Vince Young, WR Laveranues Coles, WR Torry Holt, WR Kevin Curtis, RB Laurence Maroney, RB Jamal Lewis, TE Alge Crumpler, K Nick Folk, and Kansas City's D. Help Normant get Nihilated!

It's Week 5 - Time To Get Another Win

The elation of their week 3 blowout win must've affected the Community Fantasy Football team last week, as they went out and promptly got stomped by the Goon Squad in week 4. But after a tough week of practice, their heads are back on straight and ready to roll over this week's opponent: Complete Chaos, captained by Mike, a die-hard Raiders fan in our strategic partnerships group. His team has been beset by injuries, but is still dangerous, especially if the Colts do well against Tampa. It features QB Peyton Manning, WR Marvin Harrison, WR Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, WR Derrick Mason, RB Tatum Bell, RB Maurice Jones-Drew, TE Jeremy Shockey, K Stephen Gostkowski, and Philly's D (although he needs to find a new one since the Eagles are on bye).

The Chatter team isn't without it's problems. Bye weeks are wreaking a bit of havoc with the roster, so there aren't as many decisions to make as in most weeks. But we still need your help in figuring out who should start at Running Back, so make sure to vote in our poll on the Chatter discussion board. The other guys who will start include QB Eli Manning (making this a mini-version of the Manning Bowl), WR Donald Driver, WR Vincent Jackson, WR Roddy White, TE Jason Witten, K Jason Hanson, and the Dallas D.

Help us give Mike a strategic partnership...with a loss.

The Community Team's First Win! Now Let's Get #2

My colleague Brian's cockiness backfired on him last week, as not only did the Community Fantasy Football team run wild last weeked, but his team put up one of the worst performances of the season. The result? A 117-49 drubbing that gets the Chatter team into the Win column. Now we've got to build on that momentum by knocking off the Goon Squad, run by Mike, a devout Pittsburgh Steelers fan in our Human Resources department. His team will be missing a few players due to bye weeks, but he still could put up a sneaky lineup consisting of QB Joey Harrington, RB Thomas Jones, RB DeShaun Foster, WR Deion Branch, WR Santonio Holmes, WR Arnaz Battle, TE Antonio Gates, K Nate Kaeding, and the Chicago Bears D. As always, we need YOUR help to decide who should play against him.

Unfortunately, the Chatter team is a little banged up, having lost top RB Steven Jackson for at least a game. That means that WR TJ Houshmandzadeh and RB Julius Jones will be starting for sure, but we need your votes to pick who will start at QB, and fill out the other RB and WR spots. TE Jason Witten, K Jason Hanson, and the Dallas Cowboys D will fill out our lineup. Just check out the polls on the right-hand side of the Chatter Blog discussion board to vote (use the More Polls link to access all of them), and help us beat up the Goon Squad!

Vote For Who Should Start Against Brian

Ok, the Community Fantasy team, much like it's embattled quarterback, isn't quite performing up to expectations so far. After the Rachel9ers (Head of Community Development Rachel Makool's team) waxed the floor with us last week, we're 0-2. And this week's opponent is already getting cocky. You're up against our very own Brian, who said to me yesterday, "This week's Spotlight will be on how badly my squad crushes the blog team."

His team is pretty solid, featuring QB Tony Romo, RB Shaun Alexander, RB Cedric Benson, WR Javon Walker, WR Hines Ward, WR Donte Stallworth, TE Ben Watson, K Jason Elam, and the San Diego Charger defense. But you can help us put him in his place! Vote for who should start at QB, RB (besides Steven Jackson), and WR (besides TJ Houshmandzadeh) for the Community team through the polls on our discussion board. After you vote for the QB, just click More Polls to see the rest. If you win, maybe I'll drag a much more contrite Brian back out here to apologize....

Help Get the Community Fantasy Football Team Its First Win

Ok, so the Community squad is 0-1. No big deal - just help it even that record out by beating Community Development head Rachel Makool's team this weekend! Vote today for who should start by visiting the polls on the right hand side of our Chatter blog discussion board - click "More Polls" after you're done with the QB vote. The Rachel9ers (can you tell what team she cheers for?) are pretty solid, but I know you can do it.

In case you're keeping track at home she's likely to start QB Marc Bulger (Rams), WR Plaxico Burress (Giants), WR Joey Galloway (Bucs), WR Ronald Curry (Raiders), RB Frank Gore (49ers), RB Edgerrin James (Cardinals), TE Chris Cooley (Redskins), K David Akers (Eagles), and the Green Bay Packer defense. The guys that the Community team will start regardless of the voting are RB Steven Jackson (Rams), TJ Houshmandzadeh (Bengals), TE Jason Witten (Cowboys), K Jason Hanson (Lions), and the Miami Dolphin D. Help me get bragging rights on Rachel (on your behalf) all year long!

Nowhere To Go But Up for the Community Fantasy Football Team

Ok, it wasn't the best of debuts for the Community fantasy football team this weekend. Not only did the squad get beat 103-60 by the Frisco Fighters (George-from-HR's team) thanks to underwhelming performances by Steven Jackson and Donovan McNabb on our side, and solid numbers from Joseph Addai, Clinton Portis, and Andre Johnson on his, but the New York Giants injury jinx hit us as well. Both QB Eli Manning and RB Brandon Jacobs went down, and are expected to each miss the next 3-5 weeks according to early reports.

That puts a bit of a pinch on the roster, but never fear! That's the beauty of fantasy football - you get to start over again next week. And who's our opponent this week? None other than Rachel Makool - diehard 49ers fan (her team name is Rachel9ers) and head of Community Development. Check out the polls on the discussion board to figure out our QB, and our RBs and WRs help send her to 0-2!

The Community's First Fantasy Football Opponent

With the Colts and Saints tilt in the books, the NFL season is underway! And so is the Community's fantasy football team's season. Read my previous post for the full details, but in a nutshell, I drafted a team in our work fantasy football league that would be "managed" (for the most part) by member voting. You tell us who should play, we follow your directions, and the Community team runs to victory - again, except when you're playing my team (hopefully). So thanks for voting, and check back each week to help us run the team!

Your first opponent this season is run by a nice guy named George in our Human Resources department. Well, you know what they say about nice guys - and you're going to help him finish last! His roster is subject to change at his whim, but this is the likely lineup that'll be facing off again the Community team: QB Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle), RB Joseph Addai (Indy, who racked up an impressive 19 points last night), RB Clinton Portis (Washington), WR Andre Johnson (Houston), WR Darrell Jackson (SF), WR Mark Clayton (Baltimore), TE Kellen Winslow (Cleveland), K Shayne Graham (Cincinnati), and the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense.

At the moment the voting indicates that your starting lineup will be Donovan McNabb, Steven Jackson, Brandon Jacobs, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Devery Henderson (based on votes received before yesterday's game, and who ended up with only 3 points), Donald Driver, Jason Witten, Josh Scobee, and the Miami Dolphin D, but we'll check again before gametime. I think you've got the upper hand, but check back next week to see whether you put George in his place, or fell victim to his nice-guy facade.

Know Fantasy Football? Help The Community Reign Supreme!

It's September, so what does that mean? Besides back-to-school, the weather starting to turn, and Halloween ads already appearing everywhere? It's football season! More importantly, it's FANTASY football season, of which I am a self-admitted junkie. So lately I've been looking for a way to combine my love of writing for the blog with my love of fantasy football (feeling like the guy trying to figure out the exact right combo of peanut butter and chocolate for the first Reese's cups), and I've decided to try out a crazy experiment.

For the past few seasons, I've organized an informal 12-team fantasy football league amongst several of the sports fans in the office. It's just for bragging rights, and brag we do. But this year I introduced a twist. At our draft (held late last week), I drafted my own team, but also a Community team that will be run mainly by readers of the Chatter blog. That's right - YOU! Each week, I'll put up polls on our Chatter discussion board asking everyone for who should start at each position. Where it makes sense, that is - no reason to ask who should start at kicker when there's only one on the roster, for example. Help me prove that the Community knows best (and beat the pants off some eBay employees while doing so). Just take it easy when it comes time to play my own team.

Here's the league setup, which is pretty basic: you play 1 Quarterback, 2 Running Backs, 3 Wide Receivers, 1 Tight End, 1 Kicker, and 1 team Defense.

You get 6 points for a TD (passing, running, or receiving), 1 point for every 25 yards throwing or 10 yards rushing/receiving, -3 for a turnover, and 2 for a two-point conversion. Kickers get 3 for every field goal (4 if it's 50+ yards), and 1 for each extra point. The points for your defense is too complicated to list here without making a big mess, but you get points for sacks, turnovers, and how many points you allow.

After the draft, here's the roster the Community ended up with:

QBs: Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles), Eli Manning (NY Giants)

RBs: Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams), Brandon Jacobs (NY Giants), Julius Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Rueben Droughns (NY Giants)

WRs: Donald Driver (Green Bay Packers), TJ Houshmanzadeh (Cincinnati Bengals), Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers), Devery Henderson (New Orleans Saints), Matt Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars)

TE: Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys)

K: Josh Scobee (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Def: Miami Dolphins

Obviously my TE, K and D choices are easy (at least for the time being), but I'll need YOUR help for QB, WR and RB. I'll be checking the polls late each week to see who's leading, and make the lineup decisions accordingly. To vote, just visit the board, and look for the poll on the right-hand side. After you've voted in one, click the "More Polls" link to see the others. To simplify things a little, I've decided that RB Steven Jackson of the Rams and WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh of the Bengals will be starting for sure, so you'll be voting on everyone else.

One more wrinkle - this week the Colts/Saints play on Thursday, so if Devery Henderson of the Saints is a leading vote-getter by Thursday I'll put him in. I'll also try to post the other team's lineup near the end of the week, once we're pretty sure what it'll be. Finally, I've created a "Fantasy Football" folder in the nav bar to the left, and will post updates occasionally there. If you're only interested in the fantasy football stuff, that's the place to go.

Are you ready (to help me play) some football??