Tale of Two Teams
This year fantasy football is a tale of two teams. It wasn’t until last year I started playing in two fantasy football leagues when the new NFL season rolled around. Hard to believe really, considering I have been the commissioner of a league for 27 years but never joined any other league. Now with some die hard football fans and a few casual views at work, I now play in two league.
The TFL is the league I manage and play in. I officially threw in the towel after Week 10 and the situation has not improved the past week or so. Although my struggles began after round 3 of the draft back at the end of August. My failure in planning and correctly using my cheat sheets have put me in the position I face now. This league is unique because we pay the top three spots based on total points, as well as the top two places for the H2H competition. It’s my belief total points are a much stronger indicator when it comes to just how well your team is producing.
Currently ‘Team AWOL’ is 231 points off the lead and 6-5, riding a two game losing streak. The last 4 weeks scoring has been off the pace of the leaders; 49, 95, 70 and 65 points respectively. The problem is I am maximizing score by leaving no points on the bench. Looking at this negatively, none of my bench players are producing.
I blogged earlier this season on FantasyFootballStarters.com (Middle of the Road) about drafting players in the middle rounds and the effect they have on your team. This is the “make or break” of your season. I have read of some owners in other leagues drafting Arian Foster as late as the 7th round! Talk about a mid-round steal!
So as I wallow as a “middle of the road” team this year I am already looking towards next year. While I have tossed in the towel I am not quitting on my team or league. We have all seen and experienced owners of that type, dropping all their studs and picking up duds or not even setting a lineup the last few weeks because they are no longer in it.
While I don’t believe I have a chance at a top three finish in total points, my chances at a H2H playoff spot are still alive. As the double defending champion, it is very difficult to repeat. I am finding out first hand.
In the ESPN league at work, it is different world. Looking at my team, five of my starters are ranked #1 at their position (Rivers Foster, Lloyd, Gates and Bryant). Unlike the TFL, this league is more “casual” and the draft was certainly full of surprised when a top RB drops to the third round (Mendenhall) and right into your lap. This league also sees more transactions, unlike the TFL, where I am bound by a $10 fee, so I am not making weekly moves to better my team. The ESPN league, thanks in part to FFS.com has me speculating on players, something I really didn’t do much until this year.
Even before I was beset with injuries (Romo and now Nicks) I had some non-performing players (Randy Moss). But before the bye weeks I was not making many line up adjustments on a weekly basis. The problem with his league was how it was set up. Why do I see a need to carry 3 QBs when you only start 1? So when Romo went down, I was screwed because there was nothing worthwhile on the wire. I traded for Kitna, was able to grab Shaun Hill, but was not really pleased with either of them. This week, I acquired the missing link in a trade. I gave up Chris Johnson and received Philip Rivers, from the team in second place. Needless to say, many owners were not happy with that trade.
So, while I fully expect to win the ESPN league, I will try to slow the slide in the TFL, so I don’t become the proverbial, “Beer Bitch” at next year’s Las Vegas draft. Regardless of how you do, one thing remains consistent. There is always room for improvement. And above anything else these leagues are played for fun and the shit talking that goes with it. As Russ Bliss says, “On any given Sunday any fantasy team can beat another, only to still lose Monday night.“
