Always Right, Sometimes

By on September 29, 2010

Fantasy football can be a tricky beast sometimes.  You can research, sort, filter, read daily updates and watch as much film as possible, yet still end up pulling your hair out because the guy you thought was going to be a stud flopped big time.  So occasionally your first round pick will get off to a really slow start.  Sometimes the trade that seems to pull it all together for your team ultimately bites you in the ass.  It happens to the best of us.  I’ve been in leagues that I dominate throughout the regular season, only to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs (which nearly made me quit fantasy football altogether…bitter defeat is a hard pill to swallow). 

Speaking of best…Matthew Berry, the fantasy football expert on ESPN and a charter member of the Fantasy Football Sportswriters Hall of Fame, writes a weekly Love/Hate article detailing the players he has ranked significantly higher or lower than his colleagues. For his week two piece, he recommended that anyone with Jahvid Best on their roster not start him–not because Berry didn’t like Best overall, simply because he had a poor matchup.  Best was facing Philly’s tough run defense with a backup quarterback helming the Lions’ offense.  That doesn’t exactly scream “PLAY ME!!!” for a running back of his diminutive stature (he’s listed at a generous 5’10”, 199 lbs).  Considering he had managed a paltry 20 yards on 14 carries the previous week (though he DID SCORE TWICE),  I could have hardly disagreed with him.  Anyhow, 232 yards and three TDs later, Berry’s readers were screaming for his head; as if Berry himself set their lineups, ultimately sabotaging his fan base.  I can see him twisting his moustache now.

The point is, no matter how much information you have at your disposal, no matter how well respected you are or how long you’ve been playing the game, fantasy football can give you a good old-fashioned atomic wedgie once in awhile.  Luck and timing is the two biggest X factors in our pretend general manager worlds.  You just have to be as prepared as possible for the unpredictable.  Build depth, play the matchups as best you can, and scour the waiver wire for the next Miles Austin.  It’s all about being proactive…and occasionally, right.

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