You've heard it before: You are what your record says you are. Forget the excuses or the rationalizations. The Eagles are undefeated and the Giants are 5-1, and they've earned it. The Buccaneers and Packers are 3-3, and they've earned it. And the Raiders might be the best 1-4 team you've ever seen, but they're still 1-4. The playoffs don't care about talent. In the NFL, you are your record.

But we don't play in the NFL. And no matter how much we try to make it look like the real game, fantasy football is very different. You might not be your record at all, and that might give you hope. It might also make you nervous. Either way, don't put too much into your wins and losses when evaluating your team.

Many fantasy teams are 5-1, while others are 1-5. What's the difference? Drafting ability? A keen eye for breakout players? An uncanny feel for who to start, and when? Maybe. But it might just be the luck of the schedule. I could take your league's best team, tweak who they played each week, and make them look mediocre. I could also take the league's doormat and make them look respectable. Same starters, same stats, same results. The only thing changing is their opponent. We say (more like hope) it all evens out, but if you play high-scoring teams each week, you're at a disadvantage compared to someone who catches most teams in a slump.

I know it's difficult, but try to ignore your record when evaluating your team. Look at your weekly totals, and see how they compare to the league average. I don't just mean total points, either. One monster week can cover up a lot of flaws if it's not in context. If you play in a total points league (my preference, actually) then it's fine. Otherwise, you have to see how prolific your team is and how consistent it is.

I understand that your options are limited as to what you could actually do about a problem. But you have almost unlimited options when it comes to screwing up a good thing, and this analysis can help you avoid doing that. A manager of a 2-4 team might feel pressured to do something to shake things up. But if the team has simply run into some bad luck by facing the highest-scoring team a few times, the best thing to do is nothing. Don't ditch the players who are scoring solid points for you week after week. There's no way to "fix" the schedule, anyway. All you can do is hope things balance out over the course of the season. But if you're being targeted by a trade-happy manager who wants to capitalize on your panic by acquiring your best assets, think very carefully about making a change. All you can control is how your team performs. If it's doing well, you're doing your job. Just keep doing it, and hope the schedule does its part eventually.

Analyzing your team's scoring is also a good idea if you have a great record. A 5-1 team with below-average scoring has a problem; it just hasn't shown up yet. You're not going to keep getting lucky by facing opponents when they have an off week. You might be tempted to let things be, and not try to fix what isn't broken. The problem is, your offense is broken. You need to be evaluating your starters, the waiver wire, potential trades, everything. You should be looking to improve your entire roster as if you were 2-4. Because, if not for some good luck with the schedule, you would be.

As we head into the bye weeks and approach the halfway point of the season, fantasy managers will have a desire to either pat themselves on the back or beat themselves up over their record. I encourage you to look into how your team is actually doing before engaging in any of that stuff. Remember, your team doesn’t play defense. You can’t stop an opponent from scoring. Fantasy football isn’t like real football as much as it’s like golf: You try your best and then you compare it to someone else who is also trying their best. You can’t stop them from doing anything. All you can do is work on your own game. And if it’s going well, you don’t change your swing because you’ve compared yourself to some better players, just like you wouldn’t look for a green jacket because you’ve compared well to some awful scores.

Was that an accurate golf reference? The green jacket thing is from the Masters, right? They give the winners a jacket? I think I have it right. Good luck this week.

Are you managing a strong team that has had awful luck with the schedule? Do you have a great record but a questionable roster? What does your league do to balance out the random nature of the league schedule? Share your thoughts below.