Fantasy Annoyance: A Shortage of Good Luck (A narrative of the most frustating fantasy football season imaginable)

NOTE - This is written after the conclusion of the regular season for my league, which seems a week early to any fantasy players reading. We decided to have the playoffs take place weeks 13-16, because so many players are rested in week 17. The top four of eight teams make it. Also, if you're new to fantasy football, you might think I'm way to into it. But once you get into it, you get hooked into the prospect of "managing a team," so to say. If you play I'm sure you understand... So here goes.

I've had better years playing fantasy football. My result this year is a perfect illustration of why this popular American hobby can be so frustrating to so many of us.

At the time, my draft seemingly went extraordinarily well. If this was 2010 my team would have run away with the crown. It seemed deep and loaded full of star power. Looking back, I can see where it started to go entirely wrong. In an eight team league, these were my drafted players:

Round 1, 5th: LeSean McCoy, Phi RB
Round 2, 12th: Andre Johnson, Hou WR
Round 3, 21st: Michael Turner, Atl RB
Round 4, 28th: Peyton Manning, Ind QB
Round 5, 37th: Hakeem Nicks, NYG WR
Round 6, 44th: DeAngelo Williams, Car RB
Round 7, 53rd: Brandon Lloyd, Den WR
Round 8, 60th: Dez Bryant, Dal WR
Round 9, 69th: LeGarrette Blount, TB RB
Round 10, 76th: Mike Williams, TB WR
Round 11, 85th: Shonn Greene, NYJ RB
Round 12, 92nd: Kellen Winslow, TB TE
Round 13, 101st: Falcons D/ST
Round 14, 108th: Tim Hightower, Wsh RB
Round 15, 117th: Eli Manning, NYG QB
Round 16, 124th: Rob Bironas, Ten K

Well, my second and fourth round picks didn't turn out to be the greatest. The draft was before there was much of a risk of taking Peyton Manning. It took place when reports were beginning to surface that he might miss the first week of preseason, but there was nothing to worry about. Believe it or not, losing Manning didn't really hurt me, because of the the waiver wire. Not having Andre Johnson did, though...

LeSean McCoy was definitely playing for me this season, and anyone else who owned him. Turner the Burner was the best RB2 anyone could have. Nicks underachieved in my mind; I thought he would blow up and approach 1500 yards on the year, but my expectations proved unrealistic. Carolina's running scheme turned DeAngelo Williams into a major bust. I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but with his huge payday I thought it would be a little better.

All in all though, the draft still wasn't half bad. It would appear I should be able to make my league's playoffs despite the injuries to Manning and Johnson. After all, injuries and busts occur in almost every fantasy player's draft. Which is where the waiver wire and trading come into play.

Yet despite making 24 acquisitions and a pair of major trades, I was still left out of the playoffs in the most frustrating fashion imaginable. I wasn't the team at the bottom of the standings; otherwise I would just suck it up and not write a blog post complaining about the result like I am now. All good fortune turned against me, as I will explain.

It all started in week one, when I sat in front of my computer for five minutes deciding on whether to start Tim Hightower, Mike Williams, Dez Bryant, or DeAngelo Williams in my flex spot. I ultimately selected DeAngelo, who put up a measly three points in a matchup I went on to lose by just five points. Had I gone with any of the other three guys, I would have won. This is how the rest of my season would go.

After week one I made the move that almost saved my season and chance at the $60 the eventual winner will get. Matthew Stafford was sitting in the free agent pool, and after one week I had already had enough of starting Eli Manning. I also let go of the Falcons D in favor of the Lions', and made a kicker change as well. In week two, Stafford, McCoy, Turner, and the Lions D all put up 20+ points en route to a 126-102 win, and I assumed I was good to go. Similar to after the draft, I was already in everyone's faces about how I was going to roll in the cash.

Following week two I was sick of Eli altogether, and I decided to take a chance on the sure-to-be-bust Cam Newton to back up Stafford. Dustin Keller also joined my team until he fell off a few weeks later.

Week four dropped me to 2-2, as the guy I played got 45 points from Aaron Rodgers and a freak 32-point performance from the Ravens D. I wasn't worried.

My team put up a collective dud in week five as I fell to the worst team in the league, 89-78. Even so, his team was so bad that 78 still should have gotten me a win.

I decided I needed to go something. I felt happy with Stafford at QB but knew I needed to change things up a bit if I had any hopes of winning the league. So Dez Bryant and, call me an idiot, Cam Newton were traded for Matt Forte to one of the top teams in the league. The trade seemed like it would help both teams tremendously; he had Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at QB and could use an upgrade while I was riding Stafford's 25 point performances with Newton on the bench. I was more worried about Bryant, who never did break out later on as I feared he would. Forte slowed down soon after the trade, but I loved being able to start McCoy, Turner, and Forte: easily the best running back trifecta in my league.

I worked the waiver wire magic again around the same time, picking up Victor Cruz, a guy no one had heard of who had just ripped off a few big performances. But in week six, Cruz only put up one point, and I decided to try to trade him while I could, thinking his few big weeks were just a stroke of luck.
It took me awhile but I finally convinced another owner to take in Cruz and Shonn Greene for DeSean Jackson. Along with that trade went my season, as you know what happened with those two receivers.

After week ten, though, I was sitting at 6-4 and assuming I was a shoe-in for the playoffs. I'd picked up Tony Gonzalez and DeMarco Murray, both of whom put up a lot of points. Gonzalez became my starting tight end for the second half of the season; Murray I hoped to trade but it never happened. A few weeks ago I grabbed the Texans' D, as the Lions' was falling apart. I was optimistic about my chances of being able to keep the $60 stored in my bedroom ($20 went to second place).

In week eleven I lost, falling to 6-5, in part because of stupid decisions on who to start. I won't bore you with the details, as I've probably been doing to those of you still reading.

I found myself going into the final week of my league's regular season not worried at all: I was playing a 3-8 team and currently in third place.

The situation was three 6-5 teams, one of which was mine, fighting for the final two playoff spots. All I needed to do was win against a lousy team. Even if I lost, I would still get in with a loss by either of the other two 6-5 teams, as I held the scoring tiebreak with the 2nd-most cumulative points in the league.

At this point, my roster:

QB - Matthew Stafford, Det
RB - LeSean McCoy, Phi
RB - Matt Forte, Chi
RB/WR - Michael Turner, Atl
WR - Hakeem Nicks, NYG
WR - DeSean Jackson, Phi
TE - Tony Gonzalez, Atl
D/ST - Texans D/ST
K - Mason Crosby, GB

Andre Johnson, Hou WR
Brandon Lloyd, StL WR
LeGarrette Blount, TB RB
Eli Manning, NYG QB
DeMarco Murray, Dal RB
Plaxico Burress, NYJ WR
Antonio Brown, Pit WR

Heading into the Monday night game, I needed Hakeem Nicks to put up 23 points, or Victor Cruz to not record a point and Nicks to put up 30. (Yes, I calculated this, don't worry about the scenario so much. Basically, what I am trying to say was I am finished.)

DeSean Jackson, I hate you.

Yes, his two touchdown drops did, in fact, cost me my fantasy season I'd worked far too hard on.

Wait'll next year, everyone. I'll be back.....hopefully with a least a tiny stroke of luck.

Week 12 NFL Projections (After Thanksgiving Games)

Last week: 9-4
Season: 101-39

Oakland Raiders 20, Chicago Bears 17

Caleb Hanie might surprise some people here, as he actually did look competent in the NFC Championship Game when Jay Cutler was hurt. But he will probably be overwhelmed by the amount of times he'll be knocked down as any new quarterback would. Expect him to have a hard time getting into a groove with his receivers, and Carson Palmer, Michael Bush and the Raiders to put just enough points on the board.

New Orleans Saints 31, New York Giants 24

Drew Brees and crew should be able to take care of a Giants defense surprisingly ranked in the bottom half of the league this year. New York has higher stakes on this game as they are battling Dallas for the division crown, but the extra fight should not be able to stop New Orleans.

New York Jets 20, Buffalo Bills 13

Both teams are in the midst of ugly stretches, and a loss for either effectively eliminates their playoff chances. Only the Eagles have failed expectations worse than the Jets. The Bills started off the season a feel-good story, but with Fred Jackson's injury and current incompetency of the offense, have all but fallen out of the playoff radar. Both teams need this win more than ever, and it should be the Jets who stay over .500.

New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 23
Atlanta Falcons 24, Minnesota Vikings 10
Cincinnati Bengals 10, Cleveland Browns 6
Tennessee Titans 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
Carolina Panthers 27, Indianapolis Colts 12
St. Louis Rams 21, Arizona Cardinals 20
Houston Texans 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Seattle Seahawks 17, Washington Redskins 14
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Denver Broncos 17, San Diego Chargers 13

Give Jay Cutler Credit

NFL fans take shots at Jay Cutler's toughness all the time.

Last year's NFC Championship was what drew the most attention, when he came out of the game with apparent injury. TV cameras repeatedly showed Cutler on the sideline in a winter coat and hat with his hands in his pockets, motionless, expressionless. People doubted whether he had any injury at all, much less one he should be playing through.

Former NFL great and current NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he had "better see" Dr. James Andrews operate on Cutler in person for him to be satisfied with the QB leaving the game.

He took a lot of heat for coming out of that game, in which you know the Bears went on to fall to the Packers. But it turned out he had torn his MCL, an injury impossible to play through, but saw no reason to tell the media about it.

Cutler's indifferent personality has been his undoing concerning the general public's opinion of him. Yes, he did whine his way out of Denver, that is true. But had he cared enough about his reputation to just tell a sideline reporter details of the injury rather than leaving it unknown, the backlash could have been far less.

This same sort of situation came up this past Sunday after he broke his thumb in a win over San Diego.

Cutler played through the entire game hardly indicating his injury, much less letting anyone know about it. The 7-3 Bears won 31-20 and all seemed fine. But after the game reports surfaced that his thumb was broken and could be out for an extended period of time.

Immediately, the jeers came from the fans. It was too minor of an injury, Cutler is a baby, he's letting his team down, he should play through this, etc.

The play Cutler seemed to have gotten hurt on was this: he threw an interception that wasn't his fault, then ran hard to attempt to bring down the defender who had picked off the pass, a play you will almost never see from any other quarterback.

And for those of you wondering, you can't grip a football, much less throw it, with a broken thumb.

Let's put Cutler's season into perspective. All year he has been playing with probably the worst offensive line in the league. He's been getting hit after practically every throw and completely beaten up. After each ballgame he looks like he's been through a war zone. Yet he hasn't once complained about his offensive line, continues to get up. And on top of that, he's put up solid stats and led his team to a 7-3 record.

Hate Jay Cutler all you want, but if you are going to doubt his toughness, think again.

Week 11 NFL Projections

Last week: 12-3
Season: 92-36

Sorry, but it's just scores this week. I've been a little busy lately.

Jacksonville Jaguars 17, Cleveland Browns 14
Detroit Lions 24, Carolina Panthers 17
Green Bay Packers 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13
Miami Dolphins 20, Buffalo Bills 17
Oakland Raiders 21, Minnesota Vikings 16
Dallas Cowboys 28, Washington Redskins 10
Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 13
St. Louis Rams 14, Seattle Seahawks 12
San Francisco 49ers 28, Arizona Cardinals 17
Atlanta Falcons 30, Tennessee Titans 20
Chicago Bears 28, San Diego Chargers 20
New York Giants 31, Philadelphia Eagles 17
New England Patriots 41, Kansas City Chiefs 24

Fallen Eagles

Larry Fitzgerald's second TD catch, which led to another Eagles loss.

To those of you reading that have already heard more than enough about and/or hate the Philadelphia Eagles: I am sorry. But I am a diehard fan, so I am going to write about them in order to get what I have to say about their struggles off my back.

Obviously, all of the talent is there for this team to win, but a number of factors hold them back.

I won't even address the linebacking issue much because it is blatantly obvious. Stewart Bradley was the only decent player at that position on this roster and he was let go, so now the team is left with a Clay Matthews look-alike and a couple of second stringers. Before the season I questioned why the team didn't at least take a look at free agent Lofa Tatupu; he had been a beast in the league for years and while he is aging, definitely presents a better option than what the team has right now.

But aside from the linebacker position, the personnel on this defense is incredible; regardless, the unit has still massively underachieved. Okay, first off, Juan Castillo needs to be let go. His zone scheme in the secondary is flat out awful. He has the arguably the best cornerbacks in the league on his roster (yes, I know they can't tackle, I'll get to that), but opposing QBs can still carve up the defense.

You could justify a Castillo firing for one reason alone: Larry Fitzgerald's performance in Sunday's game, which led to another Eagles fourth quarter collapse. Nnamdi Asomugha is up there with Darrelle Revis among the best cover corners in the NFL. So why, then, is he not assigned to stick to a team's number one receiver throughout the entire game? To put it into perspective: Asomugha covered Larry Fitzgerald on 20 of the 46 Cardinals' pass plays. In those 20 plays, Fitz was targeted twice and had no catches. When Asomugha was not on Fitz, but instead Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Kurt Coleman and a slew of other guys were, he had seven catches for 146 yards and two TDs.

All season I have wondered why Castillo hasn't had the corners play man; at least this game made his stupidity look obvious. All he needs to is have Nnamdi cover the one, Samuel the two, and Rodgers-Cromartie cover the three, and the opposing team will be forced to try check-downs and tight end slants the whole game. If pride becomes and issue among these three, Castillo simply needs to tell them to deal with it. And Castillo also needs to learn from the Jets on how to use a top corner, or even Oakland on how to use Asomugha, because he doesn't seem to get it.

Defensive front has been fine so far, no problems there. Except for maybe Cullen Jenkins, who is known for a lackluster work ethic...he had five sacks in the first five games, but has slacked off since and not gotten any. He is a talented player, and I expect him to turn it around.

The effort on defense overall has been terrible. No one is wrapping, and they are bouncing off ball-carriers like flies. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been especially bad, lacking effort entirely. A few times I have seem him give up a pass, and rather than try to tackle the guy, just stop and hold up his hands like it was the beer vendor in the 45th row's fault. As a whole, though, the defense needs to learn the art of tackling, which you would think an NFL defense should have down by now.

And Michael Vick? Yeah, too much money. You could tell as last year wound down opposing teams were starting to figure him out, and this season has looked even worse. 100 million dollars was based off of eight good games, and recently he hasn't looked like any better a passer than he was in Atlanta, in fact probably worse. Thank goodness 60 million of the contract isn't guaranteed, as there was no way he would stay healthy for the entire life of the five year contract.

The o-line has been steadily improving. Rookies Jason Kelce and Danny Watkins are starting to come into their own, and Jason Peters is a beast. They've provided average pass blocking recently, but Peters especially has provided gaping holes for Shady McCoy.

Which brings me to another point. ANDY REID, RUN THE BALL! I can't believe that this is still a problem. I don't want to talk about it. McCoy is a god out there, and he only got fourteen carries last week...

Reid can gameplan after the bye, I will give him that. He's a good NFL coach. But his time has run out. He can no longer motivate this group of egotistic players. Someone needs to discipline this team more, get into their heads a little bit. And I don't think Reid is capable of it. Sure, he benched soon-to-be prima-donna DeSean Jackson for not showing up to a meeting (Meanwhile, DeSean's inconsistency is showing he isn't worth the big bucks as much as fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin). But that isn't enough. Reid's team has fallen apart in front of his eyes, and his exit after over a decade could be the cost.

The team's lack of effort should be placed more on the players than on Reid, but it is still the responsibility of the coach. The absence of fight was illustrated Sunday when Steve Smith, a guy with a ton of talent fighting for playing time, caught a pass two yards shy of a crucial first down with a defender approaching. Rather than fight to move the chains, he dove in front of the defender to avoid taking a hit, resulting in a critical punt. Now I hate to single out Smith, but plays like this have contributed to bringing this team down.

I will love this team for eternity, but they have a knack for pissing off the hometown fans.

Week 10 NFL Projections

Last week: 8-6
Season: 80-33

New Orleans Saints 27, Atlanta Falcons 20

Atlanta has been vulnerable to the pass thus far, and the quarterback of the Saints is named Drew Brees. The Falcons are one of the better teams at stifling the run, but New Orleans doesn't run much anyway. At just 1-3 against winning teams so far, the Falcons haven't proven that they can beat elite teams in the league yet, so the Saints present a matchup that Ryan and crew will have a difficult time overcoming.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 13

The Bengals' 6-2 record looks pretty on paper, but it is really just a product of a relatively easy schedule. I'm not trying to take away from what they've done this year, but they only have one quality win, a 23-20 contest against the Bills. Other wins include Cleveland, Jacksonville, Indy, and Seattle. The Steelers should have a rude awakening in store for Cincy.

Dallas Cowboys 28, Buffalo Bills 24

Dallas needs this win to stay in the playoff hunt, and they draw a tough matchup against the 5-3 Bills. That being said, Buffalo's defense has kept them from being among the NFL's elite teams this year. DeMarco Murray should be able to run right through them, and Dez Bryant could break out against this spotty secondary. While Buffalo is capable of scoring with anyone, Dallas should have the better day.

Detroit Lions 23, Chicago Bears 20

Picking the Lions to win makes me second-guess myself, and this decision is probably influenced by the fact that Matthew Stafford is my fantasy QB. Chicago looked exceptional on offense last week; Jay Cutler marched his team down the field numerous times against the Eagles. While Philly's run D has been awful, they still showed indications of a complete offense, because Matt Forte has already proven himself. So why am I picking the Lions (who Matt Forte will run all over next week. He's also on my fantasy team)? Well, no one has seemed to notice that they have one of the worst passing defenses in the league. They'll rush the QB a lot, but Stafford could throw for 300 yards and a pair of scores en route to a big-time win.

San Francisco 49ers 24, New York Giants 20

It's up to Eli Manning in this one. While his big win against New England apparently made him "elite," I'm not buying it. San Fran won't give up anything on the ground, so Manning will need to play probably better than last week if he wants to get his team to 7-2. And Patrick Willis and crew won't let that happen.

New England Patriots 27, New York Jets 24

Patriots, three straight losses? Get outta here. I'd love to see it happen, but I'm not ready to buy the talk that they are no longer elite.

St. Louis Rams 17, Cleveland Browns 13
Philadelphia Eagles 27, Arizona Cardinals 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 13, Indianapolis Colts 10 (If Indy is ever going to win, though, this would be the week.)
Denver Broncos 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17
Miami Dolphins 23, Washington Redskins 17
Houston Texans 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
Tennessee Titans 24, Carolina Panthers 20
Baltimore Ravens 20, Seattle Seahawks 10
Green Bay Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 12
Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers had already started when I wrote this post.

The Fighter's Fighter

I'm far too young to have been around to watch The Fight of the Century, the Thrilla in Manila, or any of the legendary boxer "Smokin Joe" Frazier's fights. Pretty much all I can say is that I have taken a picture in front of the Rocky statue in my city of Philadelphia. The fictional character seems like a joke when compared to the real-life legend, Philadelphia's own Joe Frazier. The city is confident that the just re-elected Mayor Michael Nutter will organize efforts to have a statue erected in Smokin' Joe's honor as well. If anyone is deserving, it is him.

Liver cancer took the life of Frazier at the relatively young age of 67.

Of all the bouts Frazier was able to win, there was one he could not escape: being in the shadow of Muhammad Ali. Being "Ali's Foil" was a lifelong burden Frazier endured, and that it took him until recently to come to terms with. Ali's taunts aimed at Frazier to promote all three of their fights would eat at Joe for years following, until he finally forgave his eternal opponent a few decades later.

Frazier's bitterness toward Ali was demonstrated when asked in 1996 what he thought about Ali being honored with lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta.

"They should have thrown him in," Frazier told a reporter.

After all, Frazier had to sit and watch while Ali became one of the most beloved people in the world, while he was overlooked. Ali was a showman while Frazier was simply a fighter.

But both had mutual respect for each other, because of the grit and determination they both exhibited in the ring. At the conclusion of their third an final clash, the fight was finished because Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, would not let him back into the ring. Why? Because he could no longer see. Yet he wanted to fight on nonetheless. Meanwhile, across the ring in his own chair, a battered Ali was contemplating surrendering as well. While Ali won the fight, both men honored themselves with resolve the country has not witnessed since.

In contrasting ways, both men fostered each others' legacies. The only thing is, Frazier never got the respect he yearned for and deserved; maybe in his passing this country will do him justice.

"Smokin' Joe brought honor, dignity and pride for his people, the AMERICAN people, and brought the nation together as only sports can do."

Thrilla in Manila promoter Don King's words sum up Frazier's legacy beautifully.

And rightly so, Joe Frazier will go down as "The Fighter's Fighter," a name only the most honorable of men is worthy of.

Week 9 NFL Projections

Last week: 9-4
Season: 72-27

Buffalo Bills 24, New York Jets 21

This matchup has the makings of an outstanding football game. These two teams are polar opposites: the Jets are known for running the ball and their defense; the Bills for their high-powered, pass heavy attack. I picked on Mark Sanchez a few weeks ago and I'll continue to do it again: he needs to perform well in order to outscore the Bills, and I don't think he'll be able to. New York will be able to hold Fred Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Buffalo to a manageable scoring total, but it's up to Sanchez to keep his outspoken team over .500.

New England Patriots 27, New York Giants 24

I don't think I have picked against the Patriots so far this year. I wrongly chose them against Pittsburgh last week, but nonetheless, I can't help but pick them again. Tom Brady has slowed down considerably since the opening part of the season, but he is still Tom Brady. Enough said. While the Giants are the more well-rounded team at this moment, and will likely give the Patriots a dogfight, New England should be able to escape.

Green Bay Packers 31, San Diego Chargers 17

I'm starting to believe Green Bay will go undefeated. Sure, the most treacherous part of their schedule is yet to come, this game being the start of it. But as a team they are just too fundamentally sound to drop a game right now (as Philip Rivers did, literally, last week).

Baltimore Ravens 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Old-school football is this game. Baltimore was my preseason AFC Super Bowl pick, and while they have made me doubt it to a great extent the past few weeks, they were able to completely dismantle Pittsburgh in the first week of the season, 35-7. Joe Flacco's play has been uninspiring this year, however, expect neither quarterback to have a shiny performance is this defensive showcase. This game will surely be closer than Week 1, and Pittsburgh might just come out on top.

Philadelphia Eagles 31, Chicago Bears 20

Yes, I know, I am a little biased. I mean, I live in Philly and am a diehard Birds fan, so what do you expect? So if you want, you can just disregard this pick. But it does seem realistic Philadelphia can win this game, especially after that beatdown against the Boys last Sunday. Sure, Matt Forte might run for 465 yards and 5 TDs on the way to a Bears win (I don't know why they won't give that guy a contract. I'll be writing a post on that soon). If Andy Reid can devise a gameplan anywhere near as genius as the one employed last week, then the climb back to .500 is complete, and the one toward the playoffs stays alive.

Dallas Cowboys 20, Seattle Seahawks 12
Atlanta Falcons 27, Indianapolis Colts 6
Kansas City Chiefs 24, Miami Dolphins 10
New Orleans Saints 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
San Francisco 49ers 20, Washington Redskins 13
Tennessee Titans 20, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Oakland Raiders 12, Denver Broncos 10 (If I could pick them both to lose, I would.)
Houston Texans 26, Cleveland Browns 13
Arizona Cardinals 23, St. Louis Rams 17