Just last week I shared that I had summoned the courage to manage two fantasy football teams this season. I also mentioned that I was experiencing moderate success. Currently, I’m sitting in fifth place in one league and first place in the other. Lastly, I shared my fantasy football “fix” wherein injured players could be substituted for. This marks the third year in a row that I’ve lost a playoff game due to multiple player injuries and yes I’m still bitter. It’s one thing to lose but another to lose in that manner. Again. How frustrating.
I felt completely helpless watching my erstwhile opponent rack up point upon point while my point total continued to sit still. With my solution, I would have had a fallback in that all of my injured players could have been substituted for. As a quick reminder, I suggested if Quarterback A (or any player for that matter) goes down to injury then he can be substituted for IF you have a corresponding player at his position on your bench. Having to watch my bench guys score points while my active guys were on the training table. I felt like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulled the ball away just as he was about to kick it.
Some of you might say, “Well, if you were losing, you probably would have lost anyway.” Perhaps, but in real life they get to substitute so why can’t we? Especially in fantasy. I mean in your fantasy does a guy go for the girl that’s a ten or the one that’s never asked out on a date? It’s fantasy football for crying out loud. Even if this were to happen to my opponent (which by the way it never has), I’d feel the same way. When first venturing into the world of fantasy football, I assumed some sort of substitution option existed. Unfortunately it did not. Nevertheless, I soldiered on. Year after year, I played and endured losing seasons. Yes, I had a winning record but no season has ended with a championship. I plan to exorcise those demons with my first championship this year. I can already taste and savor the victory.
Not only did I have to watch Josh McCown, Alvin Kamara and Bobby Wagner fall victim to injury but I was forced to sit JuJu Smith-Schuster on my bench due to suspension in addition to an injured/inactive Vontaze Burfict.
Something has got to give. I know that injuries are a part of the game of football but in fantasy football we should be able to have a lot more fun while fulfilling said fantasy. Trust me when I tell you I was not having fun this past week. Now that I think about it, my football week got off to an ignominious start because Alvin Kamara was hurt in the Thursday night game, leaving me even more shorthanded as my opponent had three players in that game. I was left with one healthy player: New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. It’s just not right.
My rant is done and I’ll get off of my soapbox. For now. Maybe someone else feels my pain or just agrees with me because it’s right. Something has to be done to keep this from happening again. If this happens again, God forbid, there must be an investigation, a senate hearing, an intervention. Fantasy players out there, do you agree with me? Hopefully the answer is yes and more than that, a resolution is provided soon.