Playoffs? Playoffs?!

That's right ... I'm in! Last week I was hoping to play spoiler against someone who was trying to get into the No. 8 and last playoff spot. With a 5-7 record, I held out little hope of keeping my streak of having never missed a fantasy football playoffs.

Lo and behold, I put up 142 points -- the most in my league's Week 13 -- and actually finished with the No. 7 position. A lot of luck came into play, as the No. 8 team crapped out and scored only 71, thereby giving me a 12-point advantage over him in the tiebreaker, as we were among four teams with 6-7 records.

So as topsy turvy as this season has been, we're starting off with a clean slate. As easy as it might be to rely on the tried-and-true adage of 'stick with what got you here', I refuse to give up on playing the matchups. So no more sticking with Marion Barber, he of the disappointing last month, and in comes free-agent pickup Quinton Ganther, the newly anointed starting Redskins' RB who has a nice matchup against a porous Raiders' run defense.

Out goes Kevin Walter, who couldn't capitalize on Owen Daniels' absence, and in comes another free agent pickup in Davone Bess, fresh off his impressive performance against the woeful Patriots' pass defense.

And as much as I should thank Jason Campbell and his 24-point performance last week, I'm turning to Joe Flacco as my QB2. Yes, Flacco has struggled mightily. But the Ravens are home against the Lions -- a matchup that I can't pass up, especially considering that Campbell will be facing an actually decent Raiders pass defense.

While I might have given up on some guys, I can't sit someone like Vincent Jackson, who has slipped to being the No. 11 WR in my league. My alternative is someone like Walter or Justin Fargas, and their upside isn't as great as even an average day for V-Jax. A big day from the Chargers wideout would go a long way toward making the semifinals. Let's keep our fingers crossed ...