How did your fantasy season end last year?
With two middle fingers squarely pointed at the TV, as I watched Ryan Mathews run for 120 yards and three touchdowns in Week 17 at Denver. Obviously, all fantasy leagues end in Week 16, but this is what I expected from him when I made a deal for him after Week 1. You know, as opposed to missing four games during the fantasy regular season, tallying more than 20 carries once and scoring two total TDs prior to Week 14.
Any particularly tough losses stand out?
I'm glad you asked! I hate listening to fantasy bad-beat stories, so if you'd like to skip this section, I completely understand. There's nothing like going into a Tuesday morning class and listening to someone tell me how T.O. caught two touchdowns Monday night, causing a four point loss. As crazy as this sounds, sometimes T.O. is going to catch two touchdown passes in a game. Anyway, here are my two worst defeats.
1.) Week 14
Two 6-6 teams going at it with a playoff berth on the line. It came down to Tom Brady. Basically, if he threw for three touchdowns (or 300+ yards and two TDs) on Monday Night against the Jets, I would be headed to the consolation bracket. And the words "headed to the consolation bracket" in fantasy terms is the equivalent of someone being told to "head over to the guillotine" in 18th century France.
I felt good, and I must have talked to every Jets fan friend I know and they assured me I'd be fine. And then the game started. Really, if there was ever a threat of me jumping off the sixth floor of my dorm, it was that night. Eliminated from the playoffs on the final day of the fantasy regular season. Jeez.
2.) Week 3
I had Greg Jennings on Monday night against the Bears, and my opponent's players were done. After Jennings caught two balls for 18 yards and a touchdown on Green Bay's opening drive, I was trailing by less than a point. All I needed was one reception (PPR League). Re-read those previous two sentences: All I needed was ONE reception from Green Bay's BEST receiver with 49 MINUTES and 31 SECONDS remaining in the game. But did it happen? Of course not.
So you're going to write 800 words and not tell us your record or your team from last year? What's wrong with you?
Settle down, settle down. I finished 6-7, with the Brady Game knocking me out of the playoffs. Probably the most pain I've experienced in my life, which is kind of sad.
My team: QB- Flacco/Roethlisberger, RB- Ray Rice/Knowshown Moreno, WR- Greg Jennings/Calvin Johnson, TE- Dallas Clark (which became Kevin Boss), Flex- LeGarrette Blount. The reason why I was so angry is because this team could have done damage in the playoffs. It has to be in the Top 5 in Best Teams to Not Reach the Fantasy Playoffs, if anybody ranks things like that.
Did you check during the consolation playoffs?
(Fake laughing at a foolish question).
You mentioned the Ryan Mathews trade. Tell me more.
After my Week 1 loss, I was aggressively looking to deal. Not because I was panicking because I was already 15 percent of the way towards missing the playoffs, but because I had a perfect sell-high candidate: Matt Forte.
On an unrelated side note, I think fantasy football has reached the point where the scales are officially tipping in favor of luck over skill. Here's why:
- Unlike fantasy basketball and baseball, you have seven players, a kicker and a defense whose one-game performance determines one of 13 wins/losses. In the other two, you have a whole week to make adjustments/adds/drops with your roster over a 20-to-25 week season.
- In-game Injuries. Mathews was playing Jacksonville in Week 2, had 26 yards on five carries and 29 yards on two receptions in the first quarter and then came down with his high ankle sprain. With that one example, I'm down one running back and now playing 7-on-6 for the week.
- Everyone gets their rankings and information from the same sources, the same magazines, reads the same columns, reads about who a waiver claim should be put in for etc., so there isn't any advantage anymore to people who pay more attention.
Anyway, here was the trade: I gave up Matt Forte, LaDainian Tomlinson (name value) and Percy Harvin for Mathews (buy-low after his Week 1 opener) and Jennings. The receiving side was a plus, but with the Mathews injury making him essentially useless, I was screwed. And even though Tomlinson scored only once in the last 10 weeks, he had at least five catches in every week but one from Week 5-11. Huge for a PPR league. The worst part for me was that Mathews tried to rush his recovery, leading to a couple of eight and nine-carry games, before ending his season strong and finishing with a 4.3 YPC.
Here's to wishing you a Happy 2011 Fantasy Football Season - To you as well!
