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By Brett Avery
PGATOUR.COM Contributor

To the one half of team owners in every League Championship match-play league that did not qualify for the two-week playoff run, we bid you a fond farewell. We look forward to greeting you again in January.

John Mallinger played his way into the BMW Championship with a gritty 68 in the final round at TPC Boston. (WireImage)

And to every team owner who finished the regular season in the top half of a league, congratulations.

Now the fun begins.

It's too bad that the League Championship playoffs are single-elimination contests, considering the new FedExCup point system allows for a gradual whittling down to the 30 players who will line up next week in Atlanta at THE TOUR Championship.

Of course, The Fantasy Insider has what he thinks is a pretty good reason for that sentiment: He's 2-4 against the back9 squad, which won against him as recently as last week's Deutsche Bank Championship!

Ah, well. It is the playoffs. And in the playoffs, anything can happen, right girls and boys?

Even if you went undefeated against a first-round playoff foe -- and the chances of that happening are in the neighborhood of an astronomical long shot -- TFI suggests a little slight of hand (or roster) this week.

Jumble the lineup.

The back9 lineup is a balanced juggernaut that begins with Phil Mickelson and K.J. Choi at the top. Most team owners would be happy with one of those guys in the No. 1 slot, let alone leading with both of them.

True, TFI has Ernie Els and the (ever-more-dismal) Vijay Singh. On paper a two-on-two battle between those short rosters would make for an entertaining week.

But why play them in the top two spots?

One of the best examples of off-course strategy in golf happens every two years during the Ryder Cup, when captains pick not only their players for every session but the order in which they'll go to the tee.

Does a European captain sketching out the singles lineup play giant-killer Colin Montgomerie first or last? Does a U.S. captain trailing by a point or two stick Tiger Woods in the middle of the lineup to bolster the troops or place him in one of the last slots, hoping he can act as a relay anchor?

In a way, the League Championship playoffs are your opportunity to play the role of a Ryder Cup captain. This week is a matter of not only who will start on your team but which of the four slots they'll play.

Like Mallinger, Bo Van Pelt (pictured) played his way onto TFI's lineup this week. (WireImage)

TFI figures the only way he has a chance against the back9 squad -- and the way most every team owner should approach an opponent with Woods in the lineup -- is to go against convention. In TFI's case that means refusing to play Els and Singh as one-two.

Beyond that he's not saying a word because he knows back9 will be hanging on every word.

Remember, too, that the rest of the playoffs there are no 36-hole cuts. The four guys you take to start the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship will be with you through the last putt Sunday.

So pick wisely.

Rotisserie results for Expert League at Deutsche Bank Championship: 55.0 points (third, 14.5 points behind Greg Vara of rotowire.com). First in fairways and putting, tied first in sand saves, third in scoring and FedExCup points.

Overall: 58.0 points (second, 9.5 points behind Christian Peterson of fanball.com). Can someone, italics anyone end italics explain to TFI how the heck he benched Steve Stricker?

What was going through his mind when he was finishing his column and rushing to pack the car for a few days in the country with oh, never mind.

Rotisserie lineup for Expert League at BMW Championship: Mark Calcavecchia, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy, Steve Stricker.

Active but not in lineup: Woody Austin, Ken Duke, Billy Mayfair, Jeff Quinney, Heath Slocum, David Toms, Bubba Watson. Not in field: Padraig Harrington.

Match-play results for Public League 3359 at Deutsche Bank Championship: end back9 11.0, TFI 7.0. Overall: 17-12-2 (won West Division by two games over Da4 Skinz. TFI actually led Friday night but back9's lineup with winner Phil Mickelson and co-runnerup Justin Rose was tough on the weekend.

Match-play lineup for Public League 3359 at BMW Championship: Considering it's a playoff week, TFI isn't going to divulge his playing lineup and help back9 with his roster building. But TFI's either going to look like an absolute genius or a dolt.

Then again, you knew that already, didn't you?

Salary Cap Cup results for Deutsche Bank Championship: The main lineup of Tiger Woods (3,733 points, tied second), K.J. Choi (0 points, withdrew), Hunter Mahan (0 points, missed cut), Carl Pettersson (0 points, missed cut) and Tim Petrovic (0 points, missed cut) earned 4,233 points and placed 23,555th. Through Week 35 it totaled 8,062 points and ranked 13,969th in Segment 4. For the season it totaled 93,837 points and ranked 4,193rd overall.

The "Hey, buddy" backup lineup of Steve Stricker (1,250 points, tied ninth), Padraig Harrington (0 points, missed cut), Ian Poulter (0 points, missed cut), Sean O'Hair (1,250 points, tied ninth) and Rich Beem (273 points, tied 30th) earned 3,023 points and placed 24,438th. Through Week 35 it totaled 13,114 points and ranked 5,909th. For the season it totaled 83,546 points rand ranked 7,190th overall.

Week 35 winner: 13450836 team, 19,466 points.

Segment 4 leader: 9-under, 30,715 points.

Overall: The Big Stick, 155,733 points.

Salary Cap Cup lineup for BMW Championship: Main lineup, Tiger Woods $300,000, K.J. Choi $277,250, Hunter Mahan $192,750, Bo Van Pelt $105,000, John Mallinger $85,500. Total: $960,500.

"Hey, buddy" backup lineup, Ernie Els $290,250, Steve Stricker $287,000, Sean O'Hair $160,250, Troy Matteson $137,500, Billy Mayfair $114,750. Total: $989,750.

Have a question or comment for TFI? Send it to him at brettavery@aol.com.

Please be sure to include your name, where you're from, the name of your team and, if it relates to League Championship, the name of your league and whether you're competing in the rotisserie or match-play format.