Week 10
Irwin, Bucs D stifle Pimps
The Hellions stake their claim as the league's best with a convincing win over the Eastern leaders, and The Players will be sitting out the playoffs for another year. All this and more in...

The Week That Was in Fantasy League Football

Irwin continued its mastery of The Pimps, handing the defending Eastern Division champs their fourth consecutive loss while raising their own record to a league-best 7-3. The Hellion backfield of Edgerrin James and Curtis Martin combined for 21 points and receiver Marcus Robinson made a successful return to the lineup with 8 points of his own. The Pimps countered with 13 points from Derrick Alexander and another 8 from Steve Beurlein. Yet the game was truly won - like so many other this season for Irwin - by the Tampa Bay defense, which squeezed a whopping 21 points from The Pimps.

The Hellions rebound from a tough loss on the road at Jody with a huge home victory over their Eastern counterparts, protecting their lead in the West. The defeat is a particularly brutal one for The Pimps, who have now lost their seemingly invincible grasp on the division lead.

Quarterback Trent Green, signed by the Bock Boys two weeks ago, made his first start a memorable one as Thomas demolished the hapless Players, avenging an early-season loss and disqualifing The Players from the 2000 playoffs. Green led all scorers with 16 points, while teammates Robert Smith and Steve Christie posted an additional 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Players got 11 points from Emmitt Smith, but not much more as the remaining starters struggled to get 5 apiece. The loss mathematically eliminates The Players from playoff contention, keeping them out of the dance for the third time in four seasons. The win elevates Thomas to 5-5 and keeps them two games back of Irwin in the West.

The second ever Brewmeister/B.Y.O.B. meeting saw the end of one three-game winning streak and the birth of another as Brandon upsets the two-time defending Super Bowl Champions. Rich Gannon, the Banshee's first round draft pick, had a dominating 19-point performance, easily outscoring the hearty 9-point effort of Brewmeister signal-caller Peyton Manning. Banshee Lamar Smith chalked up another 13 points on the ground en route to a 58-38 offensive lead for Brandon. The Brewskies made a noble comeback on defense with The Titans besting B.Y.O.B.'s Redskin unit 19-13, but it wasn't enough to spoil the upset. The loss drops Anderson to 5-5 and keeps them a game off the pace in the East. The win is Brandon's second straight over a divisional opponent and keeps the Banshees (4-6) in the playoff hunt

The Abstract Machines used their best defensive performance in six weeks to down the red hot Raze, snapping their four-game winning streak. The Machines were outscored offensively 41-34, but their Ram defense bested Piana's New Orleans squad 18-6 to secure the win and series sweep over the Raze. Both teams had to go without their Week 9 stars as Marshall Faulk and Sebastian Janikowski were game-time scratches, leaving the weight of the offense on the shoulders of others. Shaun King and Gary Anderson answered the call for the Machines, scoring 10 and 9 points, respectively, while Brian Griese (12 points) and Terrell Davis (9) led the Raze in a losing effort. The win is the second straight for the Machines (5-5) and pulls them into a tie for second in the West with Piana and Thomas.

The Stereco, coming off a deflating one-point road loss, gets absolutely demolished by a revitalized C.W.O.T. team with their eyes fixed on the Eastern division crown. Sims, having to already play without its star quarterback, lost receiver Rocket Ismail for the season (for those keeping score, that's THREE receivers lost for the year with knee injuries). Ricky Willimas chipped in his standard 8 points, but the rest of the Stereco could only muster 14 additional points. Moreover, their Kansas City defense, which has won many a game for the Stereco, actually coughed up 5 points to pad the reaming. Jody, by severe contrast, was clicking on all cylinders with four offensive players reaching double digits. Their Miami defense was as strong as always, breaking the Stereco for 19 points against. The win, coupled with The Pimps loss, brings the C.W.O.T. into a 6-4 tie with The Pimps atop the Eastern Division.