Category: 2014 NFL Season

The season started so well. My team sprinted out of the blocks and took an unassailable lead. The roster looked strong. I had so many luxuries it was hard to choose who to bench. Fast-forward two weeks and I find myself 1&2, a couple of waivers down and a bench full of winners. As for my first round pick, the man who would ultimately rush my team to victory, he’s not even broken five points in three games. He’s only featured for a game and bit of a drive! Where did it go wrong? A question so many coaches in the National Football League are currently asking themselves. Jim Harbaugh is asking why his team is giving up hundreds of yards in penalties. Gus Bradley’s Jags’ work-in-progress appears to have taken a step back by a year or two. Meanwhile, The Packers look a long way off the Super Bowl tag all those experts gave them before the big kick off.

On Friday I deliberated over my backs position. With Jamaal Charles out I had to choose between John Kuhn and LaGarrette Blount.I put a lot of thought into it. I researched stats on my coffee break. Blount might see more carries, but he’s going up against that Panthers D – I told myself. On the flip side Kuhn had that weaker Lions D to rush against. I went with Kuhn. He scored me 0. Blount, on my bench, had 10 carries. He rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, thus scoring 17.80 points. I lost my match-up by 8 points. If only I’d played Blount.

With Vernon Davis out injured I chose Eric Ebron ahead of Heath Miller. Ebron is likened to VD. He plays in that awesome looking offense and he was coming up against that Packers D. Miller, on the other hand, had to contend with the Panthers. Ebron scored 0. Miller clocked up 5.10.

I know we’re only three weeks into a long season and I know the players are just warming up, but this is Fantasy League Football! There’s pride at stake. It’s more than just a game. We’re pitting our knowledge against each other. Some of us are playing for money! When our own teams let us down on a weekend, we find solace in our fantasy rosters. If both fail then we might as well lock ourselves away for the week.

There’s always next weekend.

So if you’ve got Matt Ryan or Julio Jones in your fantasy line-up then Week 3 has got off to the perfect start for you. Ryan was almost back to his superstar Week 1 performance throwing for 286yds and 3 TDs. He clearly missed Julio Jones last year. How many of us are thinking “I should’ve known.”

Week 2 was disastrous for a whole host of reasons. Most of my team ended up leaving the field for treatment at some point during their games. As for others, they just didn’t turn up. Lightning can’t strike twice, surely!

I’ve had to make a few adjustments to the side that kicked off the season so well in Week 1. Sure starters are J.J. Watt, Chris Johnson, Randall Cobb and Drew Brees. They’re the spine of the team I had so much confidence in as we headed towards the big kick off. What’s happened? My first round pick, Jamaal Charles, hasn’t helped matters. The Saints’ 0&2 start hasn’t helped my star QB either. If only I knew my back-up QB would have such a stand-out performance agains the Seahawks! He took on Richard Sherman four times and won, something Rodgers didn’t even try once.

Vernon Davis hasn’t practiced all week, cue Eric Ebron into starting corps. The rookie is being broken into the NFL gently, but I expect him to see more of the ball against the Green Bay defense than Heath Miller at Carolina.

So who replaces Charles? Here’s where I’m undecided. I’ve got the ever-reliable John Kuhn coming up against the Lions D. He’s great on those short gains, but do I have a better chance of bagging points through LeGarrette Blount? He’s coming up against the Panthers D in their own backyard, but will Big Ben opt to run it more against one of the best defenses in the league? Tricky.

No matter who we all decide to go with this weekend we won’t find the perfect formula. There will always be one guy on our bench that will leave us scratching our heads and saying “I should’ve gone with him”.

Bring it on!

So who had more points on their bench than they did on the field? Week 1 packed lots of excitement and talking points. What happened to Brady!? And what about those Vikes! Mike Zimmer’s got them looking hot on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile the Seahawks and Broncos look just as dominant as last year.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though because it’s only Week 1. Now for us fantasy owners we’ve had our smug picks and benches we might live to regret. One of my teams had Mark Ingram and Brandin Cooks on the bench alongside Steve Smith. There was 51.4 points flushed down the drain! Thankfully I had enough talent on the field to carry me home. Needless to say they’ve made the starting line-up for Week 2.

Here lies the beauty of fantasy football. It’s the drug that gets us hooked each day of the regular season. I say each day because our obsession sees us tinkering with our rosters right up until kick-off. Cordarrelle Patterson can’t do it again…can he? The Pats surely can’t go 0&2…can they? What do I do with Jamaal Charles? I spent my 1st round pick on that fella! Yeah, I know his O-line is as weak as my gran fending off Hulk Hogan. But the Chiefs are built around him. Without Charles they’re nothing! They travel to Mile High this week, so do I put my faith in him? What chance does he have? Bench him? Pick him? That’s my main concern in life this week.

By the way, what was going on with Dez Bryant! An elite athlete should not be going off with dehydration during the opening game of the season. I know it can get hot in Dallas, but you’ve got nutritionists and sports scientists at your beck and call! That’s almost as weak as his QB’s three interceptions.