Fantasy football!

This will be the last post in some time concerning our beloved Rodent Passion and Monkey Knife Fight. Alas, the fantasy football season came, for all intents and purposes, to an end this past weekend. Monkey Knife Fight, after what was a strong regular season, fell prey to some weak wide receiver play, in addition to the sudden disappearance of Antonio Gates, to fall 125 - 82 at the hands of the Eighteen Grands. The team will be completely dismantled in favor of a newer, stronger, more robust team next year. Likely one with a new name, as is our tradition in the Great Pigskin Experiment.

And where do the passions of the Rodents lie as of today? We find ourselves, despite the sadness of a season of losing, full of hope for the future. Injuries to Deion Branch and Anquan Boldin, which cost us many a victory, seem to have healed. With Roy Williams rounding out a strong regular starting 3 at wide receiver, the venerable Isaac Bruce in reserve, and the prospect of long-time Arizona back-up Bryant Johnson likely securing a starting position elsewhere, wide receiver should again be a position of strength -- though depth should never be taken for granted, a hard lesson learned this past season.

With the late-season trade of WR Andre Johnson for RB Clinton Portis, we find ourselves with a strong "keeper" foursome at RB of Portis and Justin Fargas (assuming he retains the starting position in Oakland) along with the promising Laurence Maroney and DeAngelo Williams. To be added in the draft, as mentioned in previous posts: the electric Darren McFadden from Arkansas. RB should be a position of strength, from which we may hope to deal to improve ourselves elsewhere during the course of next season.

A difficult season for Philip Rivers will hopefully be just a bump in the road on his development into one of the top QBs in the league. Meanwhile, David Garrard proved himself to be a consistent and reliable QB -- solid if unspectacular. Some depth may be needed, but the Rodents should be solid at this position next season.

After some years of struggling to find strong play at the TE position, Rodent Passion feels confident that we at last have 2 to depend upon in Green Bay's Donald Lee and Denver's Tony Scheffler. And at kicker...well, they're kickers. Stefen Gostkowski and Neil Rackers are young and on potent offenses, both worthy of keeping around for some time.

The Rodents and the Monkeys thank you all for your concern and support through the course of another rough and tumble year of fantasy football. See you again in August!