As frustrating as bye weeks can be for a fantasy manager, there is something more insidious: injuries! It seems as though every time you get your roster just the way you want it (or at least the best you can hope for, considering the players you got saddled with in the autodraft), someone gets hurt. Sometimes it can be an inconvenience for a game or a few weeks; sometimes players get themselves really messed up and their season is over. Those expecting great things from Jason Campbell, Chad Henne  and other high-profile starters must now sift through the waiver wire, hoping to discover an overlooked gem that can help salvage their fantasy season.

Let’s see if injuries hampered my effort this week:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (3-3) Angus’ No Stars 45, Wild Hanlons 59
Chix & Dix League: (5-1) Stratoblasters 148.72, cardsallday 85.40
Purple Pride League: (4-2) 4th And 10 152.00,  Skins forever 134.76
Panther Power:  (4-2) Tazo Zen 223.28, New York Jets 204.53
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (2-4) The New No. 2 109.58, Jayus’ Jesters 122.02

NFL.com

League 337126: (3-3) Ram Air 100.10, Team DK V 89.02
League 337241: (3-3) Tazo Zen 79.22, Spartans 71.32

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (1-5) Lehigh Valley Genesis 58, It,s BEER time let’s PARTEY 63
Football Paradise League: (2-4) Vodka Martinis 62, Atomic Punks 102

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (2-4) Martini Time 119.6, STALIN’s Team 110.6

So I’m a combined 6-4  for the week for my head-to-head contests, and 29-31 for the season.

And now, time to hit the waiver wire!

Bye Weeks have started! In RL, wonderful for the teams (my beloved Browns, for example, didn’t lose), but a terror for fantasy managers. Particularly in larger leagues where reliable replacements can come at a steep price, such as having to cut a decent starter to make room on your roster for the so-so running back to replace Peyton Hillis for a week.

Let’s see how the first bye week treated us:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (3-2) Angus’ No Stars 63, Jayusmagnus’ Legion 50
Chix & Dix League: (4-1) Stratoblasters 146.58, Pat’s Packers 106.54
Purple Pride League: (3-2) 4th And 10 181.74,  BONECRUSHERS 165.46
Panther Power:  (3-2) Tazo Zen 145.32, coyote ugly 187.36
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (2-3) The New No. 2 146.31, Project D 106.05

NFL.com

League 337126: (2-3) Ram Air 80.06, Rebels 88.74
League 337241: (2-3) Tazo Zen 87.04, Man of Steel 93.52

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (1-4) Lehigh Valley Genesis 102, Team Dillon 117
Football Paradise League: (2-3) Vodka Martinis 111, MPLS itchfen 56

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (1-4) Martini Time 82.5, Lost Gonzos 69.9

So I’m a combined 6-4  for the week for my head-to-head contests, and 23-27 for the season.

It would be nice to be at .500 soon!

My Brownies went down in an ugly defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. As exciting as they looked the first three weeks of the season, that’s how bad they looked against Matt Hasselbeck and company.

Would my fantasy teams fare as badly?

Let’s see how we fared:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (2-2) Angus’ No Stars 95, RoughRiders 80
Chix & Dix League: (3-1) Stratoblasters 247.40, Air it out | | 161.12
Purple Pride League: (2-2) 4th And 10 193.55,  Howlers 210.31
Panther Power:  (3-1) Tazo Zen 180.88, ALWAYS 167.85
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (1-3) The New No. 2 152.03, RimRats 94.66

NFL.com

League 337126: (2-2) Ram Air 80.64, Green Machine 131.48
League 337241: (2-2) Tazo Zen 123.34, Crucifixion 70.04

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (1-3) Lehigh Valley Genesis 70, Team Eger 34
Football Paradise League: (1-3) Vodka Martinis 71, Team minnesota 92

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (0-4) Martini Time 70.9, Andrew’s Team 121.2

So I’m a combined 6-4  for the week for my head-to-head contests, and 17-23 for the season

In a week where my beloved Browns and my behated Steelers both managed to pull off the ugly win (which are still wins; by virtue of PF and PA, the Brownies are ahead of the Steelies in the AFC North), several of my fantasy teams suffered ugly losses this week.

Injuries played a part, as Foster and Hillis were last minute scratches, and Vick and Romo were both iffy (I took chances on both, much to my disappointment). My replacement choices were ill-advised, as was my decision to keep the Other Manning on the bench in favor of Michael Vick.

Let’s see how we fared:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (1-2) Angus’ No Stars 64, RimRats 106
Chix & Dix League: (2-1) Stratoblasters 196.98, Chicago Grinders 105.55
Purple Pride League: (2-1) 4th And 10 262.34,  Nordic Nightriders  196.21
Panther Power:  (2-1) Tazo Zen 232.06, Hurricane Hurleys 170.61
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (0-3) The New No. 2 90.84, RoughRiders 153.46

NFL.com

League 337126: (2-1) Ram Air 117.52, SteelerTown 125.16
League 337241: (1-2) Tazo Zen 59.42, SEAHAWKS 142.08

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (0-3) Lehigh Valley Genesis 65, Memphis Blues 82
Football Paradise League: (1-2) Vodka Martinis 71, Team minnesota 92

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (0-3) Martini Time 96.4, John’s Team 112.7

So I’m a combined 3-7  for the week for my head-to-head contests, and 11-19 for the season

 

Week 2 is, as they say, in the books.  I don’t know exactly what books it’s in. The history books, I suppose. Or the statistic books. Probably an accountant’s books. I can’t says what books, but Week 2 is now in there.

Who would have thought there would be so many amazing storylines in the NFL after only two weeks, not the least of which is the Baltimore Colts, usually mentioned in the same sentence as “next year’s Super Bowl”, are now being mentioned in the same sentence as “the first pick in next year’s draft” because one player is hurt. Eggs, basket? Can Peyton make it back to save their season?

As long as we’re discussing fantasies, let’s see how I fared in Week 2 of my various fantasy leagues, none of which are in the books, because they’re on the Web.

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (1-1) Angus’ No Stars 77, OM Rules 79
Chix & Dix League: (1-1) Stratoblasters 193.58, FairlyNiftyBastards 267.45
Purple Pride League: (1-1) 4th And 10 190.41,  GoldRushNiners 234.71
Panther Power:  (1-1) Tazo Zen 189.66, Patriots 1960 159.09
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (0-2) The New No. 2 111.79, So Jersey Eagles 196.70

NFL.com

League 337126: (2-0) Ram Air 111.56, New York Beasts 89.70
League 337241: (1-1) Tazo Zen 110.80, super batman team 62.54

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (0-2) Lehigh Valley Genesis 100, Timmy’s Rams 104
Football Paradise League: (1-1) Vodka Martinis 75, Usa Niners 2011 108

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (0-2) Martini Time 128.3, Some Ole Boys 136.8

So I’m a combined 3-7  for the week for my head-to-head contests, and 8-12 for the season

Time to hit the waiver wires!

Almost as exciting as the return of NFL football is the return of Fantasy Football. Millions of armchair quarterbacks and coaches out to prove that they know the game better than anyone else. Some pay for the privilege, most (like me) seek out the free games and play for bragging rights. I know one guy who’s played in the same fantasy league for several years; the last weekend in August, he travels from his home in Alabama to his league’s Fantasy Draft Day gathering in Missouri. I know another that will literally laugh with sinister glee if, say, Drew Brees has a horrific game, not because he hate the Saints, but because Drew’s the quarterback on his opponent’s fantasy team.  I think it not unlikely that many people care more about Fantasy Football than they do about real-life football (I suppose in the way many people’s online life can be more important to them than reality; but that’s not the topic here today).

I’ve been a fantasy fanatic for about 14 years or so. I play several leagues each year, always free, with which I have average success: I’ve been League Champion, I’ve been a cellar dweller, often in the same season.

Like last year, this season I’m going to post the results of my games every week. No particular reason I’m sharing this with you. Just that it’s my blog and I feel like doing it.

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League: (1-0) Angus’ All Stars 94, Dundee’s Devils 50
Chix & Dix League: (1-0) Stratoblasters 231.76, i’m here 217.08
Purple Pride League: (1-0) 4th And 10 173.25,  ALWAYS 154.38
Panther Power:  (0-1) Tazo Zen 187.67, Memphis Tigers Rule! 197.55
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (0-1) The New No. 2 109.08, Hanlon’s Revenge 135.67

NFL.com

League 337126: (1-0) Ram Air 102.00, Luftpumpe 82.28
League 337241: (0-1) Tazo Zen 73.50, Swiftoo 118.66

ESPN.com:

ESPN’z #1 League: (0-1) Lehigh Valley Genesis 83, Team Houston 88
Football Paradise League: (1-0) Vodka Martinis 77, NOR CAL ROCKDOGGS 70

Fox Sports Public League 29622: (0-1) Martini Time 56.8, colt’s browns 90.5

So I’m a combined 5-5 for the week for my head-to-head contests.

An inauspicious start, but still: happy to see football back!

Well, it’s all over. Time to pack up the pads and the cheat sheets, put the field striper and mock drafts into storage, and delete the bookmarks from your Favorites. Fantasy Football is done for the year, much like my beloved Cleveland Browns and their latest former coach, Eric Mangini. As I’ve been saying for over 15 years, just wait until next year!

So how did my various fantasy teams fare through the playoffs this season? Let’s check it out:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League:  Angus’ All Stars – League Champion!
Chix & Dix League: Stratoblasters – 9th Place (out of 12 teams)
Purple Pride League: 4th And 10 – 4th Place (out of 12 teams; next year I’m changing the name of the team to 1st And 10)
Beer & Brats League:  The Others – 8th Place (out of 10 teams)
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  The New No. 2 – 3rd Place (out 0f 8 teams)

NFL.com

League 5101:  The Dharma Initiative – Regular Season Record – 6-8  (Missed Playoffs) – 7th Place (out of 10 teams)
League 6613:  Reedy Creek Ramblers- Regular Season Record – 8-6  (Missed Playoffs) – 6th Place (out of 10 teams)

Fox Sports Public League 6970A: A Team Called Brian – League Champion!

ESPN Players League: Intimidating Team Name- 7th Place (Out of 10 teams)

That wraps it up for this season. See you Fantasy Fanatics again in June!

We’re down to the last two weeks of the regular season, which means Fantasy Playoffs. Since my beloved Cleveland Browns decided not to show up against the Bengals this past Sunday, we’ll move on to my playoff results.

This week’s results:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League:  (Semifinal Result – Moving on the the Championship Game!) Angus’ All Stars 80, MacD’s Ratbastards 61
Chix & Dix League: (Quarterfinal Result – Moving on to Semifinals ) Stratoblasters 405.0, Mudders 270.5
Purple Pride League: (Quarterfinal Result – Moving on to Semifinals) 4th And 10 134.50,  e’s raiders 111.50
Beer & Brats League:  (First Round Bye, Moving to Semifinals) The Others
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (Semifinal Result – Moving on to Finals, playing for 3rd Place)) The New No. 2 126.22,  RoughRiders 156.65

Fox Sports Public League 6970A: (Semifinals Result – Moving on to Championship Game!): A Team Called Brian 133.9, Hit Squad 93.1

ESPN Players League: (Consolation Ladder – Moving on to Consolation, Second Round) Intimidating Team Name 197, Team PAR 91

 

Well, my beloved Browns are back to their losing ways, against the Buffalo Bills, no less (and, believe me, you can’t get much less). Yes, the weather was cold and icy, but five fumbles? Three of them by the Other Peyton?  Still, I’m (mostly) happy with the improvement shown this year. I just hope we don’t embarrass ourselves too much in the final three weeks.

This week’s results:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League:  (8-6 – First Round Playoffs Week 15) Angus’ All Stars 77, OM Rules 115
Chix & Dix League: (5-9 – Consolation Playoffs Week 15 ) Stratoblasters 328.0, Mudders 260.0
Purple Pride League: (11-3 –First Round Playoffs Week 15) 4th And 10 136.00,  Nordic Nightriders 104.50
Beer & Brats League:  (5-9 – Consolation Playoffs, First round Bye) The Others 105.04, Cayman Lions 122.14
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (8-6 – First Round Playoffs Week 15) The New No. 2 107.73,  LG’s Men of FF 88.72

NFL.com

League 5101: (6-8 – Missed Playoffs) The Dharma Initiative 100.5, mojo 86.92
League 6613: (8-6 – Missed Playoffs) Reedy Creek Ramblers 37.98, Special Needs 126.04

Fox Sports Public League 6970A: (10-4)  First Round Playoffs: A Team Called Brian 95.3, GIANTMEN III 81.7

ESPN Players League: (3-9-1) Consolation Ladder (In Progress) Intimidating Team Name 86, Team PAR 62

So I’m a combined 5-3  for the week, and 64-60-1 for the season in my head-to-head contests.

Football, like life itself, is a matter of perspective. How things look depends on where you’re looking at it from, and what you were hoping to see.

For example, my beloved Cleveland Browns eked out another win this week, albeit an ugly one, against the Miami Dolphins. The game itself was about as thrilling as as my last nap, but a W is a W, whether it’s come by ugly, sloppy, or whatever. Delhomme didn’t throw the ball to the wrong team, we mostly kept penalties in check, and, most important, we scored more points than they did. As a result, our record year-to-date is 5-7. We ended last season at 5-11; we have four more games to show an improvement over 2009, and, although we’ll be playing some tough teams, it should be doable. We’ve won four of our last six; we should certainly be able to snag one more W.

I have a friend who is a diehard Tennessee Titans fan, and has been since they were the Houston Oilers. Part of (or maybe most of) the reason is that his brother-in-law is the Titans’ offensive line coach, Hall of Famer Mike Munchak. Like most of us fans, Jeff’s mood at this time of year rises and falls with the fortunes of his team, and right now his team is sitting at 5-7. This was after a 5-2 start; they’ve lost five games in a row. Their starting quarterback had (another) meltdown after a recent loss, before being put on IR; back up QB Kerry Collins is playing banged-up after rookie third stringer Rusty Smith had a horrible game two weeks ago. hey are getting booed at home, fans are calling for Coach Jeff Fisher’s head, and things are basically in turmoil.

So you have two 5-7 teams. I’m thrilled and excited and can’t wait for next Sunday; Jeff is forlorn and can’t wait for the season to end so the Titans can hopefully put an end to their problems during the offseason.

Of course, we may not have a 2011 season anyway, so we may have to wait two years to see how things play out.

This week’s results:

Yahoo Teams

RTVP League:  (8-5 – Clinched Playoff Spot) Angus’ All Stars 95, RimRats 57
Chix & Dix League: (4-9) Stratoblasters 218.0, IceholeWarriors 341.50
Purple Pride League: (10-3 – Clinched Playoff Spot) 4th And 10 149.00,  Primetime 117.00
Beer & Brats League:  (5-8) The Others 106.98, Shafiano 104.02
Pros Joes & Schmoes League:  (7-6) The New No. 2 197.86,  Jayus’ Jesters 171.85

NFL.com

League 5101: (5-8) The Dharma Initiative 101.8, 49ER NATION 133.84
League 6613: (8-5) Reedy Creek Ramblers 103.96, Special Needs 75.38

Fox Sports Public League 6970A: (9-4 – Clinched Playoff Spot) A Team Called Brian 96.3, Newc’s Cowboys 88.3

ESPN Players League: (3-9-1) Intimidating Team Name 115, Team Curtis 135

So I’m a combined 6-3  for the week, and 59-57-1 for the season in my head-to-head contests. Playoffs start next week in most leagues.