Whether it is said as a joke or an actual motivator, the “Dumb and Dumber” mantra “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” echoes throughout the fantasy football community.
Week 15 is in the books, and for those of you still reading, it’s time to get ready for championship week. It certainly wasn’t easy getting here, but before you start looking at your opponent’s roster and lamenting over the uphill battle you think you have, take a closer look at the past three weeks and remember that “any given Sunday” is more truth than cliché.
Take a quick stroll down memory lane and sneak a peek at Week 13. The final week of the fantasy regular season kicked off with a Cowboys-Saints game completely bereft of any fantasy value. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas landed on a milk carton. Meanwhile, Melvin Gordon has sat out recently with a knee injury, and the Chiefs were forced to cut Kareem Hunt for his monumental stupidity. Some previously unbeatable fantasy rosters that employed those players found out rather quickly they were, in fact, beatable.
In Week 14, the fantasy playoffs got underway, and running back Derrick Henry rushed for 235 yards and four touchdowns. Crazy, right? A guy who spent nearly the entire season either on a bench or the waiver wire was now the greatest fantasy asset ever. Teams that limped into their playoffs had no other option but to start him and easily found themselves in the winner’s circle.
In addition to Henry’s heroics, Week 14 also brought Odell Beckham Jr. and James Conner to the injury report. And as if that weren’t bad enough, fantasy owners watched helplessly as most of the stud running backs saw their touchdowns vultured by unheralded extras. Who would have thought you needed James Develin in your lineup over Sony Michel or James White?
That brings us to the semifinals in Week 15. In what now seems to be routine, the Thursday game crushed souls with an injury to Keenan Allen and poor performances from Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Then, Saquon Barkley vanished. So did Adam Thielen and Leonard Fournette. Drop in injuries to Aaron Jones and Lamar Miller, and many who walked into their playoffs with more than 10 wins and their heads held high scurried away with their tails between their legs.
Just like real football, fantasy football is often unpredictable. Before you start crowning a new champion because a roster looks better on paper, be sure to let the actual games play out. So you’re saying there’s a chance? Most definitely.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice and NFL player rankings.