The NFL is down to its final weekend, which means that the season is already over for approximately half of the league's 32 teams. It also means that only two teams are still standing in your fantasy football league. The following story is one of hope, hard work, and a tremendous amount of luck. It is a tale that is shared by two men, or incredibly well-informed and therefore attractive women, in each of the millions of fantasy leagues that have formed around the world. If you aren't lucky enough to fall into that fortunate group, my sincere condolences because I have been there before -- too many times, trust me. Like any fan of the Y2K generation, I blossomed into a true sports fanatic with the surging popularity of fantasy leagues. Like most -- aside from the historically significant old men who were playing rotisserie baseball on paper decades ago -- football was my first fantasy mistress. In my mid-20s now, I have been a mainstay in four pigskin leagues for everywhere from four to nine years. As a student, I took home a handful of virtual trophies, allowing me to puff out my chest before the late bell as high schooler and incoherently brag with a few celebratory brews as a coed. One league has been my Achilles heel, though, the East Coast Pigskin League. If you are a regular reader of my weekly Keyboard Quarterback columns, you have been kept abreast of my exploits in the league over the last three seasons. A member since 2003, I have never finished any better than third. Believe it or not, I wasn't even able to get a hairy chest out of the deal. The gears were put in motion to change my poor luck four months ago when I assembled in a central Massachusetts home to talk trash, catch up, and draft my 2008 squad. The ECPL allows each team to keep two players but none for more than two years. I opted to hold onto Joseph Addai and Santonio Holmes, figuring that I'd go RB-WR-QB in the first three rounds of the draft. After my first pick half of the room sighed; the other laughed. Here I was, taking Jets' running back Thomas Jones in a room full of New England fans. Not only was Jones on the lowly Jets, but he was 2007's infamous two-touchdown wonder. The draft wasn't even a tenth of the way through, and my competition was already counting me out. Of course, we all know how he turned out. Nearly 1,300 yards and 15 total touchdowns later, he?s one of the top reasons why The Drew Crew went 8-6 in the regular season en route to a first round bye in the playoffs. My second pick was Marques Colston, who seemed like a no-doubter and a steal in what was essentially the fourth round of the draft. This season would turn out to be his worst as a professional, but no worries -- I traded him at the optimal time (more on that later). My next pick was the key to my success: San Diego's Philip Rivers. Rivers has fought with the league's top quarterbacks for the right to be the best fantasy passer of 2008, and through Week 16 he was doing a pretty darn good job. He's fifth in passing yards with 3,802 and first in touchdowns with 32. He has also thrown only 11 interceptions -- he's having a career-year in nearly every possible way. I had no idea at the time, but having plucked Jones and Rivers in consecutive rounds ensured that I would be in contention throughout the whole regular season. Heading into the NFL's final weekend, Rivers was the second-best passer, and Jones the third-best runner when taking the ECPL's scoring system into account. In the following rounds I grabbed Matt Hasselbeck (as insurance for Rivers, hold your lunch), Dallas Clark, Chris Chambers, and Felix Jones. Clark would end up coming on in the second half of the season when I needed him most, Chambers was decent in the season's first few weeks when Colston went down with an injury, and Jones did...well...he never came off my bench and was soon lost for the season. In the draft's final five rounds I grabbed Vernon Davis (yet to fulfill his potential), the Eagles' defense (one of the best of 2008, at least in terms of fantasy scoring), Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby, the Panthers' defense and Chris Brown. The runner, not the rapper. In hindsight, the hip-hop star might have been a better choice. Like any obsessive owner, I orchestrated numerous add/drops thoroughout the season -- 26 to be exact. At some point in time Cedric Benson, Devery Henderson, Deuce McAllister, Leon Washington, Ray Rice, Jeff Garcia, Daunte Culpepper, Brandon Jackson, Cadillac Williams, and Tarvaris Jackson were members of my team. I pulled the trigger on a single trade, an abnormally low number based on my propensity to deal. On Halloween, I acquired Ryan Grant and Chad Johnson from The Vipers for Kevin Curtis (whom I had picked up) and Marques Colston. Grant gave me a third back to rely on behind Addai and Jones while I still had a decent lot of receivers thanks to some savvy waiver wire pickups. This Tuesday morning, when the dust settled and just one weekend remained in the NFL's regular season, I had an overall record of 10-6 (I was victorious in a meaningless Week 15 matchup against my league's other division champion,) and my roster looked like so: QB: Philip Rivers RB: Thomas Jones, Ryan Grant, Joseph Addai, Tashard Choice WR: Bernard Berrian, Anthony Gonzalez, Chris Chambers, Santonio Holmes, Chad Johnson TE: Dallas Clark, John Carlson K: Ryan Longwell DEF: Philadelphia Standing in my way of glory is The High Strokers -- a team named in reference to something I'm not even sure is legal. QB: Jay Cutler, Eli Manning RB: Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, Reggie Bush, Shaun Alexander, Kevin Faulk, Antonio Pittman WR: Greg Jennings, Santana Moss, Steve Breaston TE: Antonio Gates K: Rian Lindell DEF: Tennessee To be quite honest, I've had to change my underwear frequently already, and the matchup has only been official since Monday Night when Greg Jennings helped put the Strokers into the Finals. History doesn't mean squat in fantasy football, but, for what it's worth, I'm 2-0 in head-to-head matchups against the Strokers this season. The only thing I feel I have going in my favor is that I could start almost an entire lineup of decent-to-above average players with something on the line in Week 17. Rivers and Cutler will be battling for the AFC West title, and unbeknownst to them, the ECPL Championship. I'm going to start Jones, whose Jets need a win and a prayer to make the postseason, at running back, and there's no way I'm going to play Addai. Green Bay is playing Detroit, and Marion Barber figures to run often with Dallas in need of a win. Grant will likely start for the second-straight week. I assume I'll be facing S-Jack and Portis. I'm almost certain that I'll play Berrian and Chambers at wideout. Both teams need a victory, and Holmes and Gonzalez aren't likely to play much with nothing on the line. Ocho Cinco didn't even play in Week 16, and I could see him sitting out once again. I'm expecting to face Jennings and Moss. Clark has been a tad gimpy, and I anticipate that he'll only play in the first half. Seattle is playing Arizona, and the Seahawks are just looking for pride, which has me leaning towards Carlson. I can only hope Gates puts up a stinker, with Rivers connecting with Chambers and anyone BUT San Diego's tight end. Anything Gates catches will negate the points Rivers puts up for me. It could be a bad situation. I rode Crosby for a majority of the season, but Longwell has been more reliable lately. Once again, Minnesota is playing for a playoff spot. I just hope that I'm not putting too much stock in the theory that players with something on the line are more productive, or at least more dependable. I can only hope the Titans get lit up by the Colts, who will likely have Jim Sorgi in at quarterback by the halfway point. The Eagles-Cowboys' game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair, but all I can do is hope that Philadelphia records a few sacks, a turnover or two, and maybe even (God willing) a touchdown. We should all thank the NFL for not scheduling any games on Christmas because that would have definitely put a damper on my holiday spirit while limiting my ability to interact with hosts of attention-draining relatives. By Sunday, with the excitement of new sweaters, slacks, books, and maybe a few video games worn off, I'll be more than ready to shout countless expletives at the television when Philip Rivers targets Antonio Gates instead of Chris Chambers, when the Packers opt to pass on three-and-short, and when Eric Mangini throws Leon Washington onto the field in relief of Thomas Jones, whom I personally believe can handle at least fifty carries against the Dolphins. Thanks to some hard work and fantasy luck, this holiday season won't be just about giving, receiving and Christmas carols... No, this weekend will revolve around rushing, receiving and screaming. Doesn't that just make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM?s Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: [email protected]