Week 10 kicks off with an Eastern Division bout between two teams currently on the outside-looking-in for the playoffs. The 4-5 Naughty Figs have three of their last five, but haven't won on the road since Opening Week. Their Week 10 hosts, The Pimps, are a game worse but have won two of their last four to keep their playoff hopes alive. All three of their wins this season have come at home.

The Figs have weathered a storm of injuries and bye weeks and seem to be in good position to make a late season push. Most notably, they have three strong halfbacks in Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, and LaMont Jordan and two of the league's best defenses in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. The Pimps also have a pair of strong Ds in Chicago and Jacksonville, but also have one of the league's truly dominant weapons in Shaun Alexander, who can single-handedly swing the outcome of game in favor of the Feathered Ones. The Figs won the first meeting in Week 5, thanks largely to a Colts 33-6 defensive victory over The Pimps' Jaguars squad.

victims of the bye week:
Figs - REC Horn
Pimps - RB Thomas

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The team with the league's worst record hosts the team with the league's best, as the Irwin Hellions visit the Sims Stereco for an interdivisional bout. Irwin is already 3-0 against the East this season, but is coming off a 60-23 loss to the Machines, so motivation will be high to break back into the win column. The Stereco haven't seen a "W" since Week 4 and must now win out just to become playoff eligible. The bad news is that their next three opponents (vs. Irwin, at Thomas, at Anderson) have a combined record of 19-8.

The Hellions are leading the Western Division thanks to big seasons from Edgerrin James, Donovan McNabb, and the Falcons/Bucs defensive combo. The defenses, however, have let the team down in recent weeks, scoring just 7 points in Irwin's last two games. Speaking of letting teams down, Terrell Owens suspension may have essentially ended Sims' season. The abrasive receiver was second in offensive points for the Stereco (only behind Drew Brees, who's sitting this one out on bye). Now, with transactions gone and injuries and suspensions mounting, the Stereco may find the Draft Bowl hard to avoid.

victims of the bye week:
Irwin - REC C. Johnson, K Kaeding
Sims - QB Brees, RB Brown

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Thomas' Bock Boys visit En Fuego Field and the Piana Raze as the pair of Western Division rivals look to shake off interdivisional losses from a week ago. Thanks to Irwin's loss, however, neither club lost any ground in the Western race. The one-game lead Thomas has over Piana can be traced back to the Boys' Week 1 25-23 victory over the Raze in Bockville. Piana looks to square the season series as well as the standings by holding serve in their home stadium.

What do Daunte Culpepper, Priest Homes, and Javon Walker have in common? They are (or were) all Bock Boy premiere skill position players that have been lost for the season due to injury. Yet despite these losses, the Boys trail Irwin by only a game in the West thanks to strong seasons from Drew Bledsoe, Stephen Davis, and Plaxico Burress. Thomas' loss appears to be Piana's gain, as Larry Johnson has suddenly vaulted into the Raze's starting lineup, setting up beside Tiki Barber in the backfield. Yet a team rarely wins on the ground alone, and Piana's receivers have yet to prove they can consistently be productive.

victims of the bye week:
Thomas - REC McCardell, K Graham
Piana - K Bironas, DEF Cincinnati

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The Abstract Machines visit Pirk's Wicked Oil Profiteer$ in Oil Town, USA, for a continuation of their Week 2 contest. That game ended in a 40-40 tie, so the season series will be won by one team or the other this weekend. The Machines have lost two of their last three, but are coming off a resounding defeat of the Hellions. P.W.O.P. is struggling to stay afloat; with only two wins, they – like Sims – will need to win out to become playoff eligible.

The Machines' Marvin Harrison, Tom Brady, and Neil Rackers are all coming off big double-digit efforts from last week. Injuries have thinned out the Abstract's reserves, so they will need all healthy bodies to continue to produce if they're to remain in the playoff picture. Pirk is coming off it's second-best effort of the season, but still left The Vortex with a loss. If they can continue that level of play, however, that can likely avoid a second-straight Draft Bowl appearance.

victims of the bye week:
Machines - REC Stallworth
P.W.O.P. - RB Johnson

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Week 1o's Game of the Week comes to us from The Vortex, where Jody's Colossal Waste of Time hosts the division-leading Anderson Brewmeisters. The Brew Krew has been on fire, winning six of its last seven, with that lone loss being by a single-point to the Hellions during Neutral Site Week. The C.W.O.T., meanwhile, have won three of their last four and sit just a game back of the Brewskies. Moreover, they're a perfect 4-0 at home on the year, giving them high hopes of evening the season series.

The Brewmeisters will be without the league's highest scoring offensive player this week, as it is finally time for LaDainian Tomlinson to take a rest. Don't cry for the Brew, however, as they'll still send out the likes of Peyton Manning, Steve Smith, and Santana Moss to take on the C.W.O.T.. Jody is actually more affected by the bye week, losing emerging star Carson Palmer and three receivers (including Antonio Gates) this week. Yet the ground game will be back to full strength, as Steven Jackson returns from bye to pair up with rookie Ronnie Brown in the backfield.

Anderson has dominated this series historically, winning 13 of 18 career meetings. A fourteenth win here would likely remove the C.W.O.T. from the Eastern Division equation. A Jody victory, however, would put the Pewter & Black in the division's driver's seat for the stretch run.

victims of the bye week:
Anderson - RB Tomlinson
Jody - QB Palmer, REC Bennett, REC Houshmandzadeh, REC Gates

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