I live in Tampa, so you can imagine what sports conversations will be like this week. The Buccaneers hosted a face-off between the top two picks in this year's draft in their first regular season work. And if your fantasy team didn't meet expectations on Sunday, you know how we feel.
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota combined for seven touchdown passes. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, one of those was a pick-six on Winston's first pass. Mariota, on the other hand, looked poised and collected, even throwing goal-line scores that require precision and confidence. At the end of the game, when the Buccaneers were trying to get a face-saving score at the end, Winston's throws were begging to be intercepted. He finished with just two picks, but it's clear more are on the way.
As Mariota basks in the bright lights of national glory, the shadow is falling on Winston. Did the team make a mistake in drafting him? Are they doomed to a winless season? The word "disaster" is being used so often, you'd think Donald Trump was describing the state of our government.
(That's neither an endorsement nor an indictment. But the Presidential candidate uses that word at least a dozen times in every speech. Everything is a disaster. Actually, that's how I sound on many Sundays. I think Trump plays fantasy football).
The truth is, Winston looked like a rookie making his first start. He made mistakes, underestimated the speed of the professional game and didn't execute. He did throw a couple of touchdowns and showed some potential. If he played against anyone else, the discussion would be about the Buccaneers' inept defense and the need to give Winston more support as he goes through his growing pains.
But he didn't play against a veteran star or journeyman. Winston played against Mariota, who sure looked like a guy you'd take if you had the top pick in a draft. Just based off that comparison, Winston looked worse than he really was.
The same might be said for losing fantasy teams this week. If you had a middle-of-the-pack score, but ran into a team with Rob Gronkowski and Julio Jones, your team looked like a disaster. You might be second-guessing your own picks and envisioning a terrible season.
Instead of doing all that, try to evaluate your team without looking at your opponent. If you had a healthy score, that bodes well for you this season. You won't run into a juggernaut every week. If you had an okay week despite some dud performances from top picks, you might be in good shape when it all comes together. And if you fired on all cylinders but lost to the top-scoring team, you should be feeling good about your team. It's hard to get excited about 0-1, of course. But when evaluating, it's not about what your opponent did. It's about what your team did.
That goes for a victory, too. If you scraped your way past the lowest-scoring team, you might have some concerns going forward. Again, no reason to panic. But 1-0 isn't as awesome as it sounds. Finally, if you simply fell on your face, let's hope things turn around next week. It's still early.
Hopefully, the Buccaners feel that way, too. Taking Mariota out of the equation, Winston looked like a rookie. That's not a crime, and it doesn't mean he won't be a great player. He's not even the sole reason they lost. Take away his turnovers and they'd still be 0-1. But because of the direct comparison to Mariota, things just feel worse somehow. And the nature of fantasy football might create that same feeling for owners after week 1.
Fight it. Ignore it. Don't worry about how badly you lost, or how it was over before the Sunday night game. Worry about your team and how the players performed. If you earned that score every week, what would your record be? Maybe it's not as bad as you feel. You can't determine too much from one week, but you certainly can't determine anything based on what the other team did. You won't play that opponent every week, but you've got your team all season. Good luck in week 2.
Do you feel optimistic about your 0-1 team, or worried about your 1-0 squad? Share your thoughts below.
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