USFL Week 14 Preview

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BY JASON MOLINET
Long Island Lightning

I enter the USFL playoffs this week as a Wild Card, one of six teams to qualify in our 14-team league. While I’m excited to be still alive, I’m also kicking myself. That’s because I blew a chance at wrapping up the best record in the league — and with it the top seed and first-round bye.

What happened? I benched Brett Favre and Thomas Jones back in Week 12. The Jets were opn the road against the unbeaten Titans. Why take a chance when my bench seemingly offered up better fantasy matchups? Gus Frerotte and Jamal Lewis got the nod instead.

Big mistake. I lost my game by five points. Lewis was shut out by Houston, limited to five fantasy points. And Frerotte totalled a season-low three points in a win over Jacksonville. Meanwhile Favre and Jones blew up as the Jets beat Tennessee.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

So while I’m tempted to go with Frerotte again facing a weak and winless Detroit Lions team, I can’t justify benching Favre again. Yes, the Jets are headed to the West Coast. Yes, the 49ers beat Buffalo last week. But I’m going Gang Green on this one.

I’ll win or lose with Favre and Jones.

My other — mild — gamble is sticking with the Dolphins defense. I’ve been using the best available D the last month since our league limits rosters to just one D. So I’ve been looking at the matchups and picking up the best available. But this week I’m rolling the dice and hoping the Fish come through on the road against a division foe.

One factor in my favor? The game is being played in the Dome in Toronto. Neitral site. No cold weather to be a factor.

I face Eric Espada and the New Jersey Generals this week in the quarterfinals. He’ll start Jay Cutler, Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, Jerricho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Kellen Winslow, David Akers and the Titans on D. The only matchup that concerns me is Cutler going against K.C.

Otherwise, I’m as confident as I could be in my lineup: Favre, Jones, Matt Forte, DeSean Jackson, Roddy White, Bo Scaife, Ryan Longwell and the Dolphins.

Both teams should be done by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. No late games to torture us. We’ll find out who moves on then.