Ruminations on My First Month as a Fantasy Football Player

We’re through Week 4 of the 2009 Cascade Fantasy Football League season, my first fantasy season ever. So far I’m 4-4 — not bad for a rookie. I promised I wouldn’t use the family blog to ruminate about fantasy sports — can’t imagine Reese and Finn will care two toots about how my running backs did by the time they’re old enough to read this — but I have to do it just this once.

Fantasy makes the NFL an addictive proposition. I’ve watched more pro football games this year than I did all of last year. Sundays are officially couch time at casa de Jenkins. I feel like I’m living a beer commercial without the beer.

I’m doing it with smoke and mirrors. My running backs, Larry Johnson (KC) and Leon Washington (NYJ) have a combined total of eight (8) points in eight games. By way of comparison, Antoine Winfield, a Minnesota Vikings cornerback, scored nine (9) points last night — and he plays defense. If Johnson or Washington doesn’t get on track soon, the bubble’s gonna burst. My wide receivers aren’t much better. Larry Fitzgerald has been okay with 18 points in three games, but Terrell Owens has only eleven points in four games. Ted Ginn had six points in one game — and zip the rest. Zach Miller gets the ball toss to him — er, over his head — by JeMarcus Russell. ‘Nuff said.

This is about what Larry Johnson has done for me so far this year -- nothing.

At the beginning of the season I chagrined that I picked Ben Roethlisberger instead of Darren MacFadden with my first pick. Turns out I made a great move. With 50 points in four games, Big Ben has literally carried my entire offense this year. He’s the 7th rated QB in the league. MacFadden has a whopping seven points in four games for Al Davis’s Dumb Dumbs. I hope for his sake he can get out of Oakland before his career is officially ruined. Put him on the New York Jets and he’s a household name.

I dreaded picking him, but Big Ben is carrying me.

I have the best defense in the league. Aaron Schobel and James Harrison have been monsters with 23 and 21 points, respectively. (Compare that to my offensive players and you’ll see the smoke and mirrors.)

It’s still early to be forecasting the ‘09 MVP, but I’d be willing to betcha (uh oh) that it won’t be a running back. Aside from Adrian Peterson, the league is light on dominant running backs this year. I’d put even money right now that the MVP will be either Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, or Tom Brady. It’s too bad Betcha’s not still around …

I better stop now …

Ruminations on My First Week as a Fantasy Football Player

I promise that I will not often contaminate the family blog with every thought I have about my new found hobby of fantasy football. Nonetheless, this is my first week as a player and it is my blog, so I’m going to bang the keyboard just this once.

A few ruminations:

This fantasy stuff is going to fundamentally change the way I watch football (and, hence, spend my weekends). I watched more full regular season games this week than I watched all last year. Thank God for Comcast’s video recorder.

Among the games I watched was last night’s Raiders-Chargers game. I otherwise couldn’t have cared less but I have Raiders TE Zach Miller, and his performance mattered. I’m amazed at just how bad JeMarcus Russell is. If he had not been a number one pick and had the Raiders not broke the bank to sign him, this guy is a No. 3 quarterback at best. (These guys agree.) As of now, he is one of only two starting quarterbacks in the league (Sean Bulger being the other) who is not owned in my fantasy league. After watching last night’s performance, I understand why.

My offensive players aren't good, but at least I don't have JeMarcus Russell.

It’s amazing how NFL running backs can fall so far so fast. Two years ago Larry Johnson was Da Man. Now he’s rushing for 20 yards on 11 carries — and that doesn’t look like an anomaly. LaDanian Tomlinson was a record breaker in ‘07 — now Darren Sproles is on the field at crunch time. Shaun Alexander was big time in 2005 — two years later he couldn’t get a job. These guys have as much job security as Seattle-area entrepreneurs who dare tread near the state’s gambling monopoly.

The more I think about it the more I appreciate just what a great target customer the fantasy player would have been for Betcha.com. The overlaps and value props just jump off the page. I can’t quite put it to words on this entry and I won’t lest I be hauled off to jail in Tennessee or some other would-be Louisiana, but something about “Hit the reset button every week.”

If Betcha is gambling, how is it that fantasy football isn’t? (Note to the Washington State Gambling Commission, who is undoubtedly reading this: don’t read this as an admission that I think Betcha is gambling. It isn’t.) Other than ESPN, CBS Sports, et al. are very powerful. (NOTE: A lawyer in New Jersey actually made this argument last year. The case was litigated in federal court — he lost.)

By the way: I went 1-1 in Week 1. Had Russell been as even as accurate as an 18th century firearm, he might have hit Zach Miller for a TD pass, and I’d have gone 2-0. I got mighty lucky winning even one, I must admit: Aaron Schobel, my third-ranked defensive player, outscored my starting backfield and one of my starting wide receivers — Ben Roethlisberger, Leon Washington, Larry Johnson, and Terrell Owens — combined. If those guys keep getting outscored by a single defensive player, my win against Norman will be my lone one for the year.

I'm in for a long year if Bills DE Aaron Schobel continues to be my high scorer.