We all have those "where were you" moments in fantasy football, both good and bad. Shaun Alexander scoring five first-half touchdowns against the Vikings. Tom Brady following up a stunning regular season with a weak fantasy playoff performance. That moment in the draft when you passed over Adrian Peterson due to injury concerns, and watching him run for thousands of yards that year for another team.
Now we can add Le'Veon Bell to that list. And like all of those other moments, it's actually both good and bad.
Bell's week 14 production was, of course, fantastic. He outgained the Bills and nearly outscored them as well. But what really mattered was that it occurred in week 14, when some teams needed a win to make the playoffs, and other teams were actually competing in the first round.
If you're an owner who faced Bell when you needed a win, it was torture. Buffalo was like your cousin playing Madden: Getting frustrated, never learning, never adjusting their game and eventually throwing the controller and cursing up a storm. Meanwhile, you numbers on the live scoring page that looked like an error. How could one guy ruin your playoff fortunes?
Well, a couple of things: First, one guy can't win or lose a game for you. They need help to do that. I know owners who had Bell and lost, and others who faced Bell and won. I know owners who started Donte Moncrief or Melvin Gordon and won. I had both and barely lost my matchup, so I know one guy's good or bad game can be overcome.
Was it better to have Bell, or not start Gordon? Of course. But that's not really why you won or lost. When the games mean so much, it's easy to assign blame to one decision or unusual performance. But, like every week, it's a combination of lineup decisions and luck that determines how you fared. The Bell owner probably didn't set the league record for most points scored, and the Gordon owner probably didn't set the record for least points scored. It helped, but there were more chapters to that story.
And second, there's always another side to the story as well. For every owner shaking their heads at facing Bell, there was an owner thanking their lucky stars to get that production. The guy who blames Bell for missing the playoffs has a counterpart in another league in another part of the country, and maybe she's crediting Bell's day with punching her ticket to the postseason.
In truth, they're both wrong. But this is a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Long after the prize money has been spent, you'll still have memories of playing with friends, of bad breaks and amazing comebacks, and of making or missing the playoffs by the thinnest of margins.
And, if you think back, you'll also remember times when you were on the other side of a great performance. It tends to even out, even if it doesn't feel that way now. For years, I was convinced that Randy Moss hated me. He played well for every team except mine. It's like I was the Raiders, and other owners were the Vikings and Patriots. He wanted to play. He just didn't want to play for me.
So yeah, he helped knock me out of playoff spots. But you know what? I was once rescued in a late-season game by a defense. Yes, a defense. It was the Titans against the Cowboys back in 2000. Tennessee forced plenty of turnovers and sacks, shut out Dallas (triggering a bonus), held them under 100 yards (triggering another bonus) and scored twice.
Normally I do research when I discuss previous games in this column. That one is ingrained in my memory. All I had left to overcome a giant deficit was a defense, and I woke up a winner by a decent margin.
That was more than 15 years ago and I still remember it. You've had those moments as well. So if Bell got you down after week 14, try to keep it in perspective. That's not why you lost (if you lost), just like he's not why you won (if you won). One guy can't make or break your team. And no matter what happens, you get to come back next year. You think Jeff Fisher had a lot of leeway as a head coach? You'll always be welcomed back. Bill Belichick envies your job security. So don't put too much into how one guy plays in one game in one season. It's already a memory, good or bad.
That being said, if you had Bell I hope he helped you make the playoffs. And if you faced him, I hope it was a meaningless game before the playoffs. Good luck this week.
Did you have or face Bell when it really mattered in week 14? Got any memories of other notable performances from years past? Share your stories (both good and bad) below.