It is an unwritten rule of fantasy football that one may have a little something-something on the side with players who aren’t from his or her favorite team. While this lechery may be slightly more frowned upon in the realm of matrimony, it’s perfectly Kosher when we’re talking about fantasy brass tacks. That being said, many proud fans and fantasy owners chose to stay tried and true to their favorite teams and draft their favorite players.
This is where many of us come into problems. I am one of the few and proud Buffalo Bills fans. Now if you happen to be a Packers or Pats fan, Lady Luck has graced you and I envy you for that. These fans have the luxury of choosing between Brady, Welker, Jennings, Rodgers, the Gronk and many of the other fantasy studs that highlight their teams.
On the flip side, I have the likes of Scott Chandler and David Nelson to choose from. Now you may be saying “hold on a minute partner, you have fantasy stars like Fred Jackson on your team.”
Well let’s analyze that statement. Being the “billiever” that I am, I started two of the most sure-fire Bills fantasy options during week one in Fred Jackson and the Bills’ much-hyped defensive unit. As I set my lineup I thought I was in for a week one drubbing of my opponent, “The Bonafide Scrubs.”
In typical Buffalo fashion, these players proved only to be a letdown. After being stifled in the first quarter, Fred Jackson suffered a high ankle sprain and ended the game with 1.6 points and a projected absence of four weeks. Sweet. Mario Williams and Gang showed similar prowess as they were routed by the Jets, giving up a miserable 48 points against a team that only scored one touchdown in the preseason. This performance resulted in me tallying -2 points from their defense, making a Buffalo net score of -.4 points.
Now again you may be thinking, “the solution is simple, drop your precious Bills players and get a good team bruh.” This brings up the concept of Pyrrhic Victory. Simply put, Pyrrhic Victory is the notion that despite seizing victory, one has done so at such an incalculable cost that victory is nearly meaningless. This, in its simplest terms, is my dilemma.
While I’m no Matthew Berry, I can put together a solid fantasy squad. But what is a victory when you turn your back on the players you root for every Sunday? Sure, you may win your league and depending on the buy-in, win a substantial amount of money, but at what cost? I mean, Charles Barkley wouldn’t take Dwayne Wade out of his fave five even if Ernie or Kenny wanted to be in it. He’d be a knucklehead if he did.
The way I see it, you’re a fan for life. Loyalty outweighs fantasy production (just ask any cuckolded man about the importance of loyalty). And when fantasy busts are as brutally common as ESPN’s coverage of Tim Tebow, it seems like the only sane choice is to stay true to your team. If you go down, at least you go down together.
Now Paly, as you gear up to win your leagues and embarrass your friends with your fantasy prowess, make sure you have at least one player from your favorite team in your starting lineup. After all, it is fantasy. Keep it real Paly.
