First, let me say that I don't think fantasy football mirrors real football particularly well. We try, but it's a totally different game. From head-to-head schedules to managing lineups, they're totally different types of competition.
Still, something is happening this week that reveals some obvious parallels.
The Colts and Texans will square off on Sunday, and there's a lot on the line: A playoff berth, a division title, probably dozens of jobs, hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars in contracts, the potential revenue of a home playoff game and the elation or sadness of a city's worth of fans.
In the larger scheme of things, the winner probably won't make much of a dent in the NFL playoffs (assuming they qualify. It's not certain the winner will advance, but it puts them in good shape). But that city will enjoy a week of genuine playoff atmosphere, the players will get valuable post-season experience, and everyone involved will get to dream of the Super Bowl for one more week.
And who, pray tell, are the quarterbacks involved in this important late-season clash? Probably T.J. Yates and maybe Matt Hasselbeck. Injuries have both teams relying on backups to carry them through.
They're not alone, of course. Who's running the ball for the Patriots this week? What about the Seahawks? Last year's Super Bowl participants are digging deep for runners and pass-catchers.
And then there's the Ravens. Remember when Joe Flacco would fake a handoff to Justin Forsett and fire a pass to Steve Smith? That was ages ago, back in September. Now those guys are long gone, and it's Jimmy Clausen or Matt Schaub faking to Javorius Allen and hitting Kamar Aiken. For real. Not surprisingly, the Ravens are nowhere near the playoffs. But other teams are winning with backups, and they need their depth to come through.
It's the same for fantasy teams. If you made the playoffs, congratulations. But look at your starting lineup. How many guys were in there week 1? How many times have you had to replace a starter, only to eventually replace the replacement?
The truth is, you're probably facing the most important game so far with players you never even thought of drafting back in August. Just like the teams in the NFL. And, like them, you have to save some blame for yourself if it hurts you in the end.
Fantasy football isn't about drafting big-name starters and watching them score points over several months. It's about what you do every round that day, and then every week afterward to make your team better. Maybe you were smart (like the Steelers) and had a starting-caliber running back to back up your star. Or maybe you were foolish (like the Cowboys) and thought you could get by with nothing behind your quarterback. If that's the case, it might even be more your fault than theirs. NFL teams don't get to draft with all or most of the best players up for grabs. They don't get to use a waiver wire with legitimate backups or marginal starters just sitting there.
Sure, you had to really pay attention this year, and maybe you didn't have the right waiver position or you blew out your free agent budget by week 6. I also understand there are nine or 11 other teams fighting for those same players.
But how you weather those storms determines how effective you are as an owner. You need luck, too. A lot of luck. But while you wait for good fortune to smile on you, you had to keep working to make every position on your roster a potential starter. I saw some owners hold onto droppable players for weeks. Maybe they had great starters, but they still couldn't afford to keep dead weight on their roster. Jamaal Charles becomes Charcandrick West, who becomes Spencer Ware. It happens fast, and if you never bothered to update that 14th spot on the roster, it might have truly hurt you this year.
I guess my point is that you deserve credit if you were able to navigate your M.A.S.H. unit of a starting lineup and make the playoffs anyway. The Steelers are in the post-season hunt partially because they planned for contingencies beyond Le'Veon Bell's initial suspension. If they make the playoffs, DeAngelo Williams will be a big reason why. Thomas Rawls kept the Seahawks chugging along when Marshawn Lynch went down. Even though he's gone, it helped put them in a good position now.
And if you didn't pull it off, I understand that, too. Like I said, you need some luck to keep things together when it's falling apart. But if you're being honest, you probably could have handled it better. Even Jerry Jones knows the Cowboys were caught unprepared when Tony Romo got hurt.
Fortunately, like Jerry Jones, no matter how this year turns out you're still coming back next season. You'll never get fired, no matter what happens. I hope you win the title. But if you don't, and you get burned by a backup to a backup who just didn't produce, don't chalk it all up to bad luck. We're all responsible for our teams. Some owners out there made the fantasy playoffs with a lineup full of smart waiver wire pickups, and some NFL teams will make the playoffs with backups making big plays. In that way the two games are kind of similar. Good luck this week.
How well did you handle the injury bug this year? Did you make mistakes, or did you secure solid replacements? Share your story below.
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