Viva Murillo!

Fantasy football is a game that might net you less than $100 when all is said and done. If you play a higher-stakes game, it's still probably less than $1,000 -- and that's if you win. For the vast majority of players (some earn five and six figures, but they're a tiny minority), the per-hour breakdown of compensation isn't much compensation. We play because it's fun.

The downside is that the spoils of victory are relatively small: A trophy, some pocket money and bragging rights. No camera crews in your driveway, no big interviews on television and no global accolades for your success. But that works both ways. Your failures don't make headlines and fans don't want answers when things don't go your way.

By now, most football fans know who Rahim Moore is. He's "the guy" from the Broncos-Ravens playoff game-- the safety who misjudged a desperation deep pass that led to a 70-yard touchdown. The Ravens would win the game in double overtime and end Denver's stellar first season with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

Never mind the fact that the play only tied the game, or that Manning threw the disappointing interception in overtime, or that Champ Bailey was treated like a cheap sparring partner for Torrey Smith. The loss fell on Morris' shoulders. Head Coach John Fox defended the team's subsequent kneel-down strategy to end regulation by saying the team needed to compose themselves after the play. In other words, Morris didn’t merely botch that play to give up a score. He also impacted future coaching decisions.

If you're a Broncos fan, you're angry. If you're a Ravens fan, you're elated. But if you play fantasy football, I hope you'll feel sympathy for him. You've made a lot of mistakes as well -- the kind that derail seasons. You're drafted the wrong guy, made the wrong waiver wire pickup, pulled the trigger on a bonehead trade or started the wrong player in a critical game. If you've ever had to decide between two potential starters, and you started the wrong one, and that decision cost you the game, then you should understand how Moore feels. If it happened in the playoffs, you're just like him. If it happened in your title game, it might be worse. The stakes are much higher, but it's still misjudging a situation and paying the price for it.

This year I started Alfred Morris in week eight against the Steelers instead of Doug Martin against the Vikings. It was a close call, but it made sense to me. The stat line: Morris was 13 carries for 59 yards, his worst game of the season. Martin was 29 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and three catches for 79 yards and another score receiving. Clearly, I misjudged that "play."

But I didn't have to answer to anyone. My fantasy team didn't say a word. The fans didn't criticize me, and I didn't have to give any comment to the media. That's the benefit we have as fantasy owners. Whatever we do, we don't get fired, we're not the scapegoat, and we always get another chance next year. A quarter of the NFL's head coaches were fired after the end of the season. But you have a permanent contract extension. It's nice to have job security, especially if you leave Doug Martin sitting on the bench. But Moore doesn't have that luxury, and he had to respond to the media after the play in question.

Now, I'm not saying to feel too sorry for him. He's a professional and he made a mistake. He's a young guy making a lot of money. His bank account has more zeroes than most. With the smallest bit of financial planning, he and his family are set for the foreseeable future.

But he's a 22-year-old who made a mistake on one play, and it ended up costing his team a regulation win. He owned up to it, too. He blamed himself, pinned the loss on his mistake and said it wouldn't happen again. They were the right words, but I listened to the actual interview. You can't hear his voice cracking in a sports article. You can't see his dejected look in print. He made a costly mistake, and the only difference between him and us is that everyone knows about it and is blaming him for it. As a fantasy owner, you have to sympathize; that's all I'm saying. Enjoy the Conference Championship games.

Clip of the week: Watch it for yourself (about 1:20 in), and remember the time you made a huge error that cost your team.

Have you ever made a mistake that cost your fantasy team everything? Share your thoughts below.

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