Sunday, Dec 01, 2013 12:00 AM

Fantasy First-Timer: Week 13: Playoffs, Home Alone and Genius

Our Digital Features Editor, Amar Shah, never played fantasy football until this year. He'll chronicle his adventures here.

Playoffs? Don't talk about-playoffs?! You kidding me?! Playoffs?!

I shared the same thoughts as Coach Mora after Week 6. The prospect of making the fantasy postseason was as tangible to me as cloning the dodo bird. But behold, seven weeks later, by a series of unbelievable circumstances, I found myself one win away from a playoff berth. Was this serendipity, or had I plotted this underdog master-scheme all along? I envisioned myself as a modern day Kevin McCallister from "Home Alone." However, instead of using paint cans, irons and micro machines to take down The Wet Bandits, I used the waiver wire, trades and matchup analysis to attack my fantasy enemies. Did I have enough in my bag of tricks for one more win?

Revenge of the Fantasy Nerd

Team Alison Brie has been my arch-foe in our fantasy league this year. They annhilated me in Week 2. They also feel they fleeced me in the Percy Harvin for Chris Johnson trade earlier in the year. Alas, as all things come full circle, I would have to beat them to make the playoffs.

The ace in the hole and my secret weapon was the prospect of using a healthy Percy Harvin against the very team that thought they pulled a fast one on me. Yeah, that didn't quite work out.

Mercy, Percy!

Team Alison Brie was already looking past me and I didn't take too kindly to that.

Well, like I said earlier, it's all part of a grand master plan. I knew full well that Eric Decker and DeMarco Murray would go off and score more than 80 combined points. Right :)?

I confronted my opponents with a certain glee.

If Pierre Thomas had done anything against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, I could have had the highest point total in the league all season. How's that for finishing up?

Genius or Idiot Savant?

I'm a fantasy first-timer, but I just made the playoffs. I feel that entitles me to visions of grandiosity. Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, perhaps my accomplishment is on the level of genius.

I decided to take my newfound theory to Michael Fabiano, our senior fantasy editor, to see what he thought.

Genius is often overlooked. Just look at Emperor Claudius, Elle Woods and Kanye West. Luckily, my cubicle mate is Chris Law, a producer on NFL Fantasy Live. I thought I deserved my own segment, so I asked him.

Ladies and gentlemen, I demand that you start a hashtag campaign using #putamaronfantasylive. If it fails, then I will pull an Oprah or Glenn Beck and start my own network.

Or maybe, like my wife tells me, I'm just delusional.

Watercooler Chat

President Franklin Roosevelt had his fireside chats. Fantasy editor Marcas Grant and I have our watercooler talks.

I think I shouldn't ambush people anymore.

Ground Hog Day

Well, I'm the fifth seed and I square off with Team Alison Brie, again. Still no Percy. And I'm not sure Decker and Murray will pull off another miracle like they did last week. Yet, I'm confident in my lineup. As Kevin McCallister said, "You guys give up yet? Or are you thirsty for more?"

Next Week: Will Team Amarica dismantle Team Alison Brie again to advance in the playoffs?

Amar Shah is the Digital Features Editor at NFL.com. He writes weekly about his first-time fantasy adventures throughout the season. You can reach him at @amarshahism. If you have trade or marital advice, let him know.

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