I like football. I have been a fan since the glory days of Joe Gibbs and when the “‘skins” were winning Superbowl’s. Years ago, my daughter, Katie, was in a Fantasy league that needed a player. I joined and I have been in a league almost every year since. More recently the teachers at JFHMS have been gracious enough to include me in their Fantasy Football league. With that in mind, I thought I would tell you about my Fantasy fiasco.
You may not be familiar with Fantasy Football but it works something like this. A league manager will gather a number of interested players and sign-up for a league on the ESPN website. After everyone signs in, a draft day and time to select players from all the NFL teams is set. A Fantasy team consists of 1-quarterback (QB), 2-running backs (RB), 2-wide receivers (WR), 1-tight end (TE), 1-flex player (FLEX) that can go either way (I’ve heard that about them), 1-defense (D/ST), and a kicker (K). The remainder of the 16 players are considered “bench”. The bench comes into play when there is a bye week or injuries inevitably happen. The NFL players gain points depending on how they do on game day.
Strategy for the draft can vary quite a bit depending on the individual. A decent QB will usually get you the most points, but most people will draft RB’s or WR’s in the first rounds for the best value. Picks in the first 4 rounds are very important for your team.
Our fantasy draft was scheduled for a Tuesday at 8:00pm. I had my strategy all figured out. I typically draft a RB in the first round, followed by a WR, then a TE, and in the fourth round a QB. Most people don’t take a TE that early but there aren’t that many that can get you consistent points. And I like to get a top tier QB if possible.
An hour before the draft began, I found out that I would be 7th in draft order in a 10-player league. Not a bad spot. Six people would pick before me in the first round, but I should be able to get a top tier running back or wide receiver. I decided after looking at my options to change my normal routine and draft a WR as my first pick. Good RBs should be available for my second-round pick. I had a plan. As 8:00 approached everything was in place for my first pick, and even our internet was behaving itself.
Eight o’clock arrived and the first pick was on the board. I am poised and ready to go at #7. You have one minute to make a pick, or the draft picks the best available player for you, regardless of position. Thirty seconds went off the countdown clock. Suddenly the clock went blank!! I just stared at the screen for a second. What is going on!? At the same time, She, who shall not be named, says “the internet just went down”! I am stunned! My computer is locked up! Maybe I can use my phone. What’s my ESPN password? Can I log-in twice while the draft is going on? Finally, I did what I usually do when there is a technology crisis…. I handed my laptop to Tammy.
Five minutes go by, and I know I have missed my first two draft picks. In the meantime, after several tries the internet still isn’t co-operating so Tammy tries setting-up her iPhone as a hotspot. Ten minutes go by! At last Tammy hands me my laptop and I’m back in the draft. When I check my status, I find I have drafted 3 running backs! Quickly, what to do with my 4th pick!? All top tier WR’s are gone. Only 1 TE I like is available, and only 2 QB’s I’m interested in are still on the board. I picked the tight end. Gotta have a good TE. Next, I picked the only QB left that I felt good about. Then I picked 3 wide receivers in a row, one a promising rookie. To fill out the rest of the “Ragin’ Retirees” roster I added a back-up QB, and TE, followed by a defense and a kicker, and then I filled out the rest of the 16-player roster with RB’s and WR’s. Good, bad, or ugly my team was set. Not a terrible team but certainly not what I had planned.
Fantasy Football is just a game with friendly competition making it much more interesting. And in addition to following your own favorite team, it keeps you more in tune with what is going on with other teams in the NFL. So far, I’m at 2 wins and one loss. If I have a bad year, I’ll blame it on my draft day “fiasco.”
R.D. Cullers
Graduate of Bergton Elementary (Class of ’65)
