The International Fantasy League: Week 1 of the Playoffs is in the books

Let's discuss Prince Abdullah's fantasy chops. An improbable fantasy maven from desert lands halfway around the world, he's the reason this league exists. (The winner of the International Fantasy League gets to travel to meet the Prince in his hometown, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.) Without being at all cocky, he makes it clear that he thinks he'll win every fantasy contest. We're happy to report that his confidence is largely justified.

To wit: He's in 14 leagues this year and got to the playoffs in 13 of them (including the International League). He sent the emails earlier to prove it. (They were sent from the Bahamas. Sheesh, man, rub it in.) A perusal of his rosters reveals that his teams aren't stacked with the best fantasy players. Several Steven Jacksons and Vernon Davises and Ryan Grants, mercurial talents, complemented by what's usually a solid defensive choice often based on matchup (e.g. this week's pickup of the Colts—a smart move given their opponent, the Bengals), have given him enough victories to have his eyes set on the prize in all but one of his leagues. It's really great to see the Prince live up to the hype we generated about his skills before the season started.

PLAYOFFS: RECAP, PREDICTIONS

Week 1 of the playoffs is over. The byes had it safe, and so did the good teams, all of which won. The lone upset wasn't really an upset: Team Saudi Arabia beat Team Japan--the No. 5 seed beating the No. 4. (Team Japan suffered from not starting Jonathan Stewart, who had 100 yards and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay Monday night, and also from the absence of Marion Barber this week. Team Saudi Arabia didn't have great showings by anybody, but the Colts D/ST, which racked up 26 points, helped Team SA get it done.)

There was another minor upset in the Consolation Bracket: Team USA, the bottom seed, No. 10, beat Team Poland, the No. 9 seed. This contest between two bare-fisted fighters amputated at the elbow saw Team USA double Poland's points, 66 to 33.

Next week pits Team Saudi Arabia against the No. 1 overall seed, Team Chile. While Jonathon Aledda's team has been the dominant team in the International League, this is anybody's game. Team SA's Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, and Steven Jackson face off against Team Chile's Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, and LaDainian Tomlinson. It's a crapshoot, even though the matchups slightly favor Team Chile's backfield (LT versus the Chiefs and Forte against the Saints). Drew Brees against Tyler Thigpen at QB: who would've thought this matchup would have the potential to be a push two months ago? Edge: Team Chile, 106-89.

In the other semifinal, Team India squares off against Team Mexico, a team that's hoping that Brandon Jacobs plays this week. As solid as Alberto Levet's Team Mexico is (Adrian Peterson, Anquan Boldin, Jason Witten), Denie Mathew's Team India is on a roll, and looks to cruise into the final, carried by DeAngelo Williams, Steve Slaton, Brandon Marshall, and the Ravens D/ST. Edge: Team India, 95-84.

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