Fantasy Football Week 8 Recap and Projections for Week 9

Woo Hoo...I won my Match-Up this week and had the highest points in our league!  I'm still in 3rd place but my point total is the 2nd highest and I'm playing against the 2nd ranked team in our League, Travel Belly.  I did a lot of swapping out on Sunday, taking out Greg Jennings to play Michael Floyd who got 8+ points more than Jennings and playing my Bengal Defense over the Packers who out-scored them by 21 points.  Darren McFadden had a great game and the highest point total this week for RB's and I was worried that Ridley would have an average game but even he scored a TD.  My original Projection was actually lower than listed in my Match-Up because I took out Jennings and the Packers D so I actually scored 40 points over my projections which was necessary after a low-scoring game last week.  In my first Match-Up with Trojan Man I beat him by less than a point so this was a well-deserved victory this week!  

My Week 8 Match-Up

For pick-ups this week at RB you might think of picking up Andre Ellington from the Cardinals as he had an 80 yard TD last week and 162 yards total; not a bad day for Arizona.  Montee Ball may not have started off strong but after a good game last week and the fact that Moreno hasn't been out on the field as much and Hillman's missing scoring opportunities, Manning may look to Ball to take the pigskin into the end zone.  After an injury in Week 3, Lance Moore is back and ready to score, getting a TD last week, and since Jimmy Graham is still not 100%, Moore will be seeing the ball more ;)  Kenny Stills, another Saint's WR has had a great couple of weeks with 3 TD's and seeing far more snaps even with Moore back in action.  He might be a good Flex spot this week.  The Bengals had a phenomenal Week 8 showing against the Jets with Marvin Jones scoring 4 TD's and catching every pass thrown to him.  That's huge and he might be taking a place on my team!

All my starting Wide Recievers are on a Bye this week and since Bowe and Jennings have been pretty much a bust weekly I had to pick up another WR since my recent pick-up Floyd is also on his Bye.  I'm hoping Ted Ginn Jr can exceed his projections and my other WR's can hit theirs.  I might pick up one more WR and swap out one of my current guys but we'll see how Player Stats are looking this weekend.  Since Vernon Davis is also on Bye I'm counting on Kyle Rudolph from the Vikings to score some points at TE.  Demarco Murray will be back this weekend and although Foster is questionable I may keep McFadden in and hope for another great week out of him.  I'm glad I can count on my Kicker to bring me some points each week!

Currently, my points are higher than Travel Belly's so as long as my team hits their projections and Belly's hit par I'll be up for a win and in 2nd place!  All that Drafting and making sure I didn't have players on the same Bye was fine and dandy at the beginning of the season when I thought I could count on my guys at the WR position but now it's up to fate and the Fantasy Football God to bring me a W this week.  Let's Go Dudes!

Ladies Night!

I love spending time with my gals and last weekend brought a lot of fun with some of my favorites!  On Saturday night I met up with my friend, Thi, at a party in Echo Park and on Monday, I brought my friend Katy to the Kings Game where we sat in the Luxury Box Suites thanks to Marty!

Thi and I don't get together very often because she travels for work and has been spending a lot of time in New York working on Project Runway the past couple seasons.  So I was happy when I got a random Saturday night off and she was heading out to a party with friends and I was able to meet up with them.  It was a chill party in a big studio space with all sorts of props from sets and stuff and then an open area where some people were dancing.  You know you're getting old when you go to a party with unlimited booze and you have one drink and decide on drinking some more OJ and then a water before leaving because that one and only drink felt a little strong.  All the ladies caught up and before we knew it the sound of music was drawing us into the open area where we created our own little dance circle and got our groove on for the rest of the night with each of us playing DJ.  I'm so glad I got the night off to spend some time with my Lover :)

The Calm before the Dance Party Storm!

On Monday night, Katy and I headed over to the Staples Center to hit up a Kings Game where we sat in the Luxury Box.  My friend Marty usually takes clients to the games but had this game available for friends so he gave me 2 tickets and I'm so glad he did because seeing the game was so much fun!  I'm not a huge hockey fan but being at any live sporting event is such a cool experience.  We had a great view of the rink from our seats plus 2 flat screen TV's (one of which I tuned to the Giants game because I had to keep an eye on my Fantasy Football score) and unlimited nachos and chicken tenders.  There was also a fridge stocked with soda, beer and wine.  Once we got some food and drinks we settled into our leather recliner seats and enjoyed the game in style.  I loved when the little mini-Hockey players got to go on the rink and got to try to score a goal against the goalie during a break in the game.  They were so little and cute.  It was great to spend some time with Katy before she leaves for Sacramento at the end of the month!

Katy & I at the LA Kings Game

These girls are incredible and I'm so happy I got to hang out with each of them and catch up after such a long time!  My work schedule has been so crazy but I'm lucky that it worked out on both days to have the night off for some fun and craziness with my ladies!

Hosting for Afterbuzz TV

I'm so happy to be Hosting for Afterbuzz TV on a weekly basis doing the After Show for 'Supernatural' which airs on the CW at 9 pm.  Afterbuzz was created by Maria Menounos as a way to catch a daily post-game wrap up for your favorite TV Shows.  Maria was recently announced as the 2014 CES Entertainment Ambassador.  It's Week 3 of Hosting for me and 'Supernatural' is in its 9th Season.

This is our Aftershow for last week's episode of 'Supernatural!'

My Co-Host, Tom Connolly, and I watch the newest episode at the Afterbuzz Studios and tape our show immediately following, which airs Live on the Afterbuzz Website and is available on YouTube as well as a Podcast on iTunes!  There's no editing, there's no practice, it's just a fun and exciting environment in the studio, and a learning experience each time.  I'm so glad that I take notes during the episode because 'Supernatural' has a lot going on each week!

Tom & I Hosting for Afterbuzz TV on my first show!

You can catch us at 10 pm weekly at: Supernatural Aftershow on Afterbuzz TV

I've had so much fun working with the people at the Afterbuzz Studios and can't wait to get involved in more shows :)

Find Afterbuzz TV here: Afterbuzz TV on Facebook

Find me on Facebook & Twitter at: Lyndsey on Facebook & Lyndsey on Twitter

Fantasy Football Week 7 Recap and Projections for Week 8

My streak is over and it's back to normal for my Fantasy Football Team as yet again, Eli Manning, messed with my Winning Streak, breaking his losing streak, but causing me to be in 3rd place with a 5-2 record.  Last week's score blew me out of the water by over 60 points and this week, I had some low-scoring players including Arian Foster who got me just over 1 point and went out in the first quarter and was seen wearing sweats on the sideline.  It was almost as bad as seeing Jay Cutler riding the exercise bike after he got taken out of the Packers/Bears Play-Off game a couple years ago.  Once again I had another terrible week with Kenbrill Thompkins not even getting 2 points, but thankfully Stevan Ridley had a decent week and out-scored his projections.  I counted on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers Defense who both out-scored their projections and my other QB & Defense options.  But Victor Cruz and Vernon Davis were huge disappointments this week with their low Fantasy points.  It's pretty bad when your kicker out scores over half your team!

My Week 7 Match-Up

Unfortunately there were quite a few injuries this week, with yet another one of my Packers going out, and another player will have to step up to fill the shoes of Jermichael Finley.  Let's talk pick-ups for Week 8 starting with my Pack; Andrew Quarless will be taking Finley's place and since Aaron Rodgers loves to move the ball around, he may be a good pick-up even if he's only had 28 catches in his career with the Packers.  I'm not sure what St. Louis is going to do without a QB and their only option right now is Kellen Clemens who has 7 TD's and 13 Interceptions.  It's been rumored Tim Tebow may be brought into the mix but we'll just have to see what happens.  You can't be sure if either are worth a pick-up.  On the other hand, Roy Helu the RB for the Redskins got 3 TD's this past weekend so he'd be a good option since the byes and injuries are heavy this week.  With Reggie Wayne out, Darrius Heyward-Bey will be taking over and could prove to be a smart choice as long he holds onto the ball.

Thankfully, McFadden is back after his Injury in Week 5 and Bye last week so I'm playing him in Arian Foster's place since both he and DeMarco Murray are out for at least another week or two.  I'm trusting Ridley to have another good week and hopefully he can just hit his projections.  I'm looking forward to a huge game for the Packers against Minnesota and putting my faith in my boys for a great game.  It's still up in the air for my Flex player as The Gronk is back and Thompkins will barely see any touches and with Minnesota not really having a QB in Freeman just yet, Jennings may not see the ball as much as he should, even though I know he'd love to score against his former Packer Team.  I'm playing Jennings since he may be looking for revenge!  

I've got an over 100 Point Projection again this week so let's hope last week was just a fluke and I gain some points back and get back up in the Top 2 positions in my Fantasy League!  I'm coming for you Dawgs again in Week 14!  We're at the half-way point in games this season so you can still get to the top of your league with smart decision-making and avoiding anyone that can be affected by Eli Manning.  Let me know how your team is doing and good luck winning your Week 8 Match-Up :)

30 Seconds to Mars!

This past Saturday Neil and I had tickets to see 30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl, the last of my Birthday concerts...thank you Daly!  We didn't want to miss the show (or be late) but thankfully an insider tip from my lovely friend, Thi, said the band wasn't starting until 9 pm, after the two openers including Panic At The Disco!

'Night Of The Hunter'

With a bottle of wine packed and some candy after being at The Hollywood Bowl a couple weeks prior for the Keith Urban concert, this time we came prepared.  Our seats were incredible, the boxes to the right of the stage with a great view of both the stage and a giant TV screen.  We sat for a few minutes but as soon as the band started there was no more sitting down!  There was a short instrumental but then they opened with 'Night of the Hunter,' went into 'Search & Destroy,' and then 'This Is War.'  During the first song they had giant beach balls in different colors that were lit up and glowing so that was super cool and people kept them going for a long time so that was really neat to see.  The video for 'This Is War' was really graphic and interesting and had the words going across the screen so people could sing along.  I was actually really surprised because maybe it was where we were sitting but I felt like we were the only ones in our section that knew the lyrics to all of their songs.  Why go to a concert if you're not going to enjoy it?!  They had acrobats between songs and perhaps they had a bad night but I thought the two guys on the teeter-totter were going to fall off the stage and the guy dancing with the hoop was going to fall flat on his face.  It was more nerve-wracking than exciting.

'How awesome is this photo!'

Jared talked before 'City Of Angels' as he said that he remembered when they had a studio on Melrose & Highland and were just happy to have Air-Conditioning finally, and here they were, playing the Hollywood Bowl in their city.  He seemed super appreciative and then moved from the main-stage to the lawn area, and where he said the fans were way better, louder, and more fun.  He also told us that he was sick, and for some reason, that always happens when he comes to play in LA, but to be honest, you couldn't really tell, especially when he started his next set.  Before he started an acoustic set a guy jumped on-stage with him and got a picture (how flippin' cool) and said he had driven 30 hours just to get to the concert!  Jared sang 'Hurricane' acapella and it was absolutely beautiful, and probably my favorite song, and followed that with 'The Kill' which was also awesome and probably their most well-known hit!  Then he did 'Stay' originally sang by Rihanna and just blew her away, it was so beautiful that I actually cried.  After that he made his way back to the stage and closed out with 'Closer To The Edge' and 'Kings & Queens.'

Neil & I at The Hollywood Bowl for 30 Seconds to Mars while they sing 'This Is War'
"It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie."

He announced when he came back on for the Encore that he would be showing us something that no one else had seen, and played a short film, called 'City Of Angels' to accompany the song they had played earlier.  There were famous actors and musicians giving commentary and beautiful scenery of Los Angeles, it was such an inspiring video and made you believe in the good faith of LA, which is definitely hard at times.  They closed out with 'Up In The Air.'  On the way out, I noticed Derek Hough next to me and at this time 2 years ago I was sitting with my Aunt watching 'Dancing With The Stars' while she said she really enjoyed Derek's dancing.  It was a nice little reminder that she's still looking out for me, even if she's not here :)

30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl

Overall, I was really happy with the concert but do wish they would have played some more of the new songs off their album because I think they'll be hits.  The problem was they required Jared's strong voice and since he was sick, he probably wasn't up to doing them.  My only frustration was that I went to the concert to see him sing, and not have him point the mic to the crowd and have them sing throughout the show.  His voice is so amazing, I just wanted to hear all him; perhaps I'm just being selfish!  They were the first band and big concert I saw in LA almost 3 years ago so it was really neat to see them again, playing at such a huge venue!

Audition & Karaoke

It's been a while since I had a Print Audition so I was very excited when I got a call from my Management Team that I had an Audition I could go to, but only if I wanted to attend.  Of course, I wanted to go to it; I remembered submitting for it a couple days earlier.

The confident cheerful gal!

The Audition was in Hollywood and for Reebok.  It wasn't your typical sporting Audition and I thought it would be more personable since the description had been so in-depth.  They wanted confidence, a life of the party, feminine but sporty girl, who was the center of attention.  In fact, we were told to wear a skirt or form-fitting clothes so they could see our bodies, and suggested heels, not tennis shoes.  When I got to the Audition Room we had a beautiful view of the Hollywood Hills and The Hollywood Sign.  You know you're in LA when...  The Casting went pretty quickly, aside from engaging a male model/actor who could barely get out a complete sentence.  I shouldn't have engaged but when he mentioned the Midwest, I couldn't help myself.  Lesson for next time:  Don't talk to anyone with a 'Homiez' hat in a floral print.  During the Audition, I expected a quick interview and then a few photos to see our body and legs but as soon as I got to the room, they had me take 4 photos from different angles and then said thank you.  It was in and out in about 30 seconds. 

As I had waited my turn, most of the girls were blonde and close to 5"10 so I knew it was going to be a long-shot for me booking it since they were probably looking for height.  I was still grateful to be called in and getting the Audition in hopes when something else comes up, I get called in again or they remember me.  It was another experience under my belt and a chance to be seen and that's all I can ask for!

This weeks Karaoke selection was a wide variety of songs since it was pretty slow so I sang some requests throughout the night.  My opener was 'Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics and I might have to retire it because it's such a long song and so repetitive.  I definitely prefer 'Here Comes The Rain Again' over that song.  Next I sang 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper for Marcus and we later sang 'Stop Dragging My Heart Around' which is one of my favorite duets to sing and has such great lyrics, thanks to Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks!  I changed it up with a little Nirvana doing 'Heart-Shaped Box' which I haven't sang in a while.  Art has been asking me to sing Michael Jackson again for weeks so I did 'The Way You Make Me Feel' for him and once again had a blast with it.  That's definitely a new favorite of mine.  Next up were my new songs of the night, starting with 'Like A Boy' by Ciara which I definitely need to do some more practice on, especially if I'm going to be dancing to it at a future Karaoke evening.  I'm still proud of my effort but needed a redeeming new song so McCracken and I sang 'Whiskey Lullaby' which was new for both of us and went awesome!  He had a couple friends come in and his girl friend sang some Jewel so I followed suit with 'Don't' and then she sang a song from Pocahontas and they requested I do 'I Dreamed A Dream' from "Les Mis" and both of my final songs of the night were ones I really enjoy singing and everyone at the bar liked as well!

It was a Karaoke night full of songs since it was slow but I know in two weeks when we have our Annual Halloween & Costume Contest Karaoke Night at Gabe's it's going to be busy, so next week will be another rehearsal before the big night!

Fantasy Football Week 6 Recap and Projections for Week 7

We're going streaking...well, my Fantasy Football Team is anyway, as this is my 4th win in a row as we come into Week 7 and probably my toughest match-up yet against Ditka's Dawgs, who are in first place, as I trail them by less than 17 points with the same 5-1 record.  I had a Monster Match-Up this week in scoring, getting over 30 points from my TE Vernon Davis and almost 21 from Arian Foster, whom I now feel comfortable starting without question!  I played Stevan Ridley the first couple games only to be disappointed by him and had benched him the past couple games.  This week he scored 23 points while hanging out on my bench with the Green Bay Defense who scored just a few more points than my playing Bengals.  It didn't matter this week as I beat the Westside Dukes by over 80 points.  Sorry Andy & Aimee!

My Week 6 Match-Up

As for pick-ups this week, Joseph Randle, the RB for the Cowboys replaced DeMarco Murray on Sunday and scored over 9 Fantasy Points, with a TD and 17 Rushing yards.  Since Murray is more than likely going to be out, he'll be a good choice this week.  Brandon Jacobs had a huge game this weekend against the Bears and even though the Giants lost, he brought in over 100 Rushing yards and 2 TD's, so pick him up if you're short a RB.  Since Fantasy Owners lost Randall Cobb this weekend to an injury, which is now being reported as a broken fibula, Jarrett Boykin may be a good choice, since Aaron Rodgers loves to find multiple players in a game!  Lastly, if you're looking for a TE, Joseph Fauria from the Lions would be an awesome pick-up after an incredible game this weekend, scoring 3 TD's and dancing like it was 1999.  He's a Free Agent in my league so I may pick him up for Davis' Week 9 Bye.

Since Murray might be out this weekend I need to decide whether to gamble on another potentially good week by Ridley or pick up a RB since McFadden and the Raiders are on their Bye this week.  Ridley is projected to get over 8 points and was the main RB of the game last week, even though he didn't get into the game until right before the 1st quarter was over so I'll have to see if there are any risky high scoring RB's available.  I'll also keep Thompkins in this week as he had a last minute TD this past week and Dwayne Bowe has clearly been a bust.  I'm switching it up and playing my Packers Defense since they're against the Browns and hopefully it'll be another great Match-Up and win this week!

Did anyone out there have Jacobs but left him on their bench like the Owner in my league did?  Are you planning on starting him this week?  What about Ridley; he's unpredictable but can I trust him to help me win this week against the Dawgs?  Once again, feel free to comment or let me know how your team is doing; who's a scoring a machine or who's a slow baby with a full diaper, barely making any progress crawling on the field ;)  See ya next week!