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Week 16 Observations

The games seemed more intense than usual to me this weekend, maybe due to the confluence of playoff implications, both real and fantasy. I missed most of PHI-WAS on Saturday (who has time to sit through three hours Monday, three hours Thursday, six hours Saturday and nine hours Sunday?), but caught most of SD-SF, one of the craziest games I've ever seen. The Sunday morning slate had some unreal survivor swings, too (more on that below.) Honestly, I'm glad it's mostly over, though I'm about even money in a title game Monday night (assuming Peyton Manning plays the whole time), and survivor will carry into next week.

• I know what I was thinking taking the Cardinals and the points, but that thinking was wrong. Rooting for Arizona was like playing roulette by covering 1-34 with $100 bills and hoping not to get burnt by 35-36, 0 or 00. Eventually, Seattle was going to hit one of its big plays, and wipe you out. And once you're chasing, forget it.

• Marshawn Lynch missed almost half the game with a stomach ache, but still got 113 yards and two TDs against one of the league's best run defenses.

• I actually faded the Giants this week (and sat Eli Manning for Alex Smith in my final), thinking the Rams would stop the rush and get to Eli. Instead, Manning had time, was as sharp as he's been all year, and of course is throwing to the reincarnation of Jerry Rice. It's not a question of whether Odell Beckham is in the top tier of receivers now, it's where he ranks among A.J. Green, Jordy Nelson, Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson.

•  The Rams hit Beckham late (and out of bounds) at least twice, and you have to wonder what kind of bounty defensive coordinator Gregg Williams had on him. Seriously, though, of all the coaches who should be worried about his players doing something like that - especially against one of the league's charismatic, marketable young stars in its biggest market - you'd think Williams would be one. On one play, Beckham actually saw the hit coming on an uncatchable ball near the sideline and lowered his shoulder slightly, giving the DB the brunt of the blow.

• The Raiders have to be responsible for thinning out more survivor pools than any other team. After taking down the Chiefs and 49ers, they got the Bills, all of which were viable and popular options the weeks they faced them.

Sirius XM had a poll they circulated for listeners on what player was the fantasy MVP this year. Beckham was on the list, while Andrew Luck was not. I mocked the poll, arguing many more playoff teams had Luck than Beckham. Maybe they knew something I didn't. What an utter disaster for a Week 16 game for Luck.

• I love that Donte Moncrief was a flop. Even though I recommended him too in the event T.Y. Hilton were scratched, it was such a Captain Obvious play, and you know everyone would have claimed credit if he went off.

It annoys me Tony Romo was still in the game up 28-0 even after the Colts removed Luck. That's because he threw a gratuitous 25-yard TD to Jason Witten to put my opponent up 16.5. (I have Demaryius and Julius Thomas - non-PPR Monday night.)

There were four of us left in my re-buy survivor pool (re-buy through Week 6), and while one died with the Eagles Saturday, the other three of us had the Dolphins, Lions and Pats (me). I can honestly say any of the eight possible win-loss permutations between those three teams was about equally likely in the closing minutes of those games, i.e., any of us could have won it outright or been the only one to lose.

I didn't watch much of Houston-Baltimore because I had BAL minus 5.5, and every time I checked in Joe Flacco was throwing an interception or Randy Bullock was kicking a field goal. If I could go back and change one thing about my life it would be to have put Bullock in 100 DFS lineups.

 It's not that you were wrong about Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Rueben Randle or Zach Ertz this year; you were just 16 weeks early.

• I know word was out about the Saints vaunted home field suddenly being worthless, but it's still hard for me to process. How does Drew Brees manage only 6.7 YPA or Mark Ingram 2.9 YPC against that defense?

• Pretty strong showing by Julio Jones after being iffy all week. I was expecting quite a bit less.

• Sad to see Satan's Tebow got hurt in the Carolina game. I know it's only a game and a half or so, but I think Johnny Manziel will be lucky to have Matt Leinart's career at this point.

Despite cosmetically poor numbers (4.6 YPA), Jimmy Clausen played a decent game against a tough Detroit defense and would have put up substantially better stats but for seven or eight drops by his receivers. Alshon Jeffery caught a touchdown, but was responsible for at least four of them.

• The biggest problem with the Chargers-Niners game is the false hope it gives you for the 999 out of 1,000 others where you're rooting for a team that gets down big, and you end up wasting two hours of your life for no reason.