Week 8 Preview.

Hello week 8 everybody. The first half of the regular season is over and done. Now it's on to the second half of the season and the race for playoff positioning begins. Teams in the lead are looking to stay there and we, that are behind, are looking to make a surge. Activity, as documented previously, is at an all time high. Trades and waiver wire aquistions continue at a feverous pace and I look for that to continue up to the trade deadline in two weeks.

But, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves - on to week 8

Thomas (1-6, 642) Vs Randy (5-2, 637)

Thomas got shalacked last week (60-155). It just happens. Move along, nothing to see here. What is concerning, though, is being 1-6 and scoring 642 points. Randy has scored 5 fewer points and is 5-2. It just happens. Thomas, to his credit, hasnt thrown in the towel. Even though I have teased him a bit, he has done exactly what I would do - bring in a whole new crew. This Sunday, He'll be starting several new acquistions in an attempt to start anew. Randy, on the other hand, just keeps winning. Last week's win makes three in a row and he had his first 100+ offensive output of the season. He is doing what he needs to do - dodging landmines and keeping his head above water. It helps that he's only had 527 points scored against him, but hey, that's not his fault.

Chavez (4-3, 775) Vs Dustin (4-3, 816)

Dustin leads this series 6-3, winning the last three match-ups. This is a great match-up this week. Chavez brought down Laron last week, after considerable trash talking before the games Sunday, scoring a season high 149 points. That win gave him back to back wins and back to back 100+ offensive outputs. He'll need to duplicate that to compete with Dustin. Dustin looks strong, but has lost his last two weeks, getting shocked by Matt last week 121-135. This is a big week for both, as both are second in their respective divisions and cannot afford a loss. Ok, they can afford a loss, but 5-3 is way better than 4-4, especially if the division winner goes to 6-2.

Cow (2-5, 666) Vs Rojo (3-4, 643)

Cow leads the overall series 8-5, but Rojo has won the last 2, both last year. After beginning the year 0-5, the Cow has notched out two wins in a row, scoring 111 & 130. He has found some new offense and with it, new life. Rojo, on the other hand, seems to have hit a wall. It's been an up and down season for him, but the last two weeks have been really down, scoring 55 & 68 in back to back losses. QB has been a trainwreck position for him, despite drafting Cutler & Favre. Both desperately want a win and need a win, so this ought to be a good one this week.

Jimmy (4-3, 848) Vs Laron (6-1, 782)

Clash of the Titans. Jimmy has scored 100, 136, and 114 the last three weeks, but has only won one of those. To be fair, last week was Peyton Manning's bye week. After winning 3 of his first 4, he has lost 2 of his last 3, thus the 4-3 record. That's the bad news, the worse news is, he gets to play Laron this week. As we know, all streaks come to an end. Laron began the 2010 season in style, winning 6 in a row. Last week, however, he ran across a buzzsaw in Chavez, it happens. 6-1 aint bad after 7 weeks, I'd take it. Laron has scored 119+ in 4 of his last 5 weeks.

AD (2-5, 753) Vs Kyle (3-4, 819)

Oh Romo, Romo, wherefore art thou Romo? I hate Tony Romo. I lead the overall series with Kyle 13-3, but as some will remember, 2 of those losses were week 16 playoff games that crushed my championship aspirations. Suck on it Kyle. I hate Kyle.

Matt (4-3, 676) Vs Chad (4-3, 708)

Chad leads the overall series 4-1, losing the first time last year. Matt dropped a nuke on Dustin last week, scoring 135 points, but he has been scoring closer to mid 80s each week. Regardless, he is in position to try and make a playoff run. That's more than some of us can say. Quietly, Chad has won 3 of his last 4 and has scored 100+ 4 weeks in a row. Can Eli carry him the rest of the season? Well, not this week, he is on a bye, but after that?

Rick (5-2, 717) Vs Kurt (3-4, 582)

Rick has won 3 in a row and scored 100+ in all of those. While his scoring output is not necessarily impressive, he has outscored 5 of his opponents so far this year, and thats all that matters. He currently leads the Texas Division and looks to add to it. Kurt's fortune may be changing. He gets Stafford back soon and has added Winslow to replace injured Clark. As he pointed out, Yahoo has him the projected winner this week.

Bang (2-5, 592) Vs Pitch (4-3, 742)

Bang leads the overall series 4-3, but Pitch has won the last two (last year). Bang is currently in a freefall, losing his last 4, scoring 62, 73, 93, and 65. I'm looking for a rainbow, but i'm not seeing one. Pitch is coming in off a loss as well, but if pattern holds, he'll win his next two before lossing again.

Happy week 8 everyone, and good luck. May fortune favor the wise and willing.