Earlier this week I posted a video on social media consisting of screenshots of a few matchups I had in Week 6.
I’m in “League 1” on ESPN. It’s a 16-team league that literally has League ID 1 — it’s the first fantasy league that was ever created on ESPN. It’s still going strong to this day and the league is filled with a lot of the folks that built the first version of their fantasy platform and ESPN.com. I’m the defending champ of that league. I mention that not because it’s relevant to this story at all, but purely because it makes me feel better.
The screenshot I posted shows that I lost this week in that league 91.84 to 91.96.
The first fantasy football league I ever played in was over 30 years ago at Syracuse University with a bunch of buddies. It’s a 12-team league that continues to this day. I finished second in that league last year. It’s not relevant to this story at all, but it makes me feel better.
The screenshot I posted shows that I lost this week in that league 112.28 to 112.36.
I also play in an expert league that I won two years ago and finished “in the money” last year. I posted a third screen shot that shows I lost in that league this week 106.7 to 106.5.
The fourth screenshot I posted was from MNF. Bears 25, Commanders 24. A loss that took years off my life.
Brutal week. Just a brutal week. This, combined with my continued penance on Fantasy Football Happy Hour, where, after winning the show league for two years in a row and being completely and totally obnoxious about it, my team this year might be the worst team I’ve ever had in any league, anywhere. Injuries, under performers, and having the most points against. The fantasy gods have rightfully smited me and my team in this league.
Now in fairness, I’m in like 32 leagues (which, for the record, is way too many and I will cut that in half next year), so there’s always gonna be some wackiness every week when you do that many leagues, and I have done a poor job of keeping up with all of them.
The reason I bring all this up is that… it happens to the best of us. I literally do this for a living, have for a long time, and I think I lost in 10 of my leagues last week. But those three stung the most, losing all three by a combined .4 points.
Go do the math or look at the screenshots. Three games. Decided by a COMBINED four-tenths of a point. What’s the song? If it didn’t have bad luck I’d have no luck at all? LOL.
Just remember that, the next time you suffer a loss (and I hope it’s not till next year), it could be worse. You could have had some losses like your old pal, Matty. And, of course, none of those losses were as bad as this one:
Today is the seven-year anniversary of “The Alfred Morris rant” – IYKYK. 1 point. ONE POINT!!
Here’s to a better Week 7. Let’s get to it.
A reminder – any Utilization stats you read below come from Dwain McFarland and his incredible Utilization Report on FantasyLife.com which, by the way, is now FREE.
Like 12 months of FREE.
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A reminder to catch Fantasy Football Happy Hour every weekday at Noon ET on YouTube and of course, it’s also available on Peacock, NBC Sports NOW, and wherever you get your podcasts. And every Sunday morning we do Fantasy Football Pregame from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube channel.
Thanks as always to my producer Damian Dabrowski for his help at various points in this column. Here we go.
These are the 10 Facts You Need to Know Before Week 7:
1. In every game this season but one, the Detroit Lions have allowed multiple touchdown passes.
1A. In fact, three of the last four quarterbacks to face the Lions have had three passing touchdowns.
1B. Among the Lions’ issues? Deep pass attempts. They are bottom five in the NFL in both yards and touchdowns allowed on deep passes.
1C. Only one quarterback in the NFL has more deep pass attempts this year than… Baker Mayfield.
1D. I don’t care if you’ve never heard of any of the wide receivers that Baker will be throwing to this week. I’m starting Baker everywhere I got him and not giving it a second thought.
2. Other side of the ball in that game. Over the last two weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed at least 340 passing yards to an opposing quarterback in two straight games.
2A. The quarterbacks they faced were Mac Jones and Sam Darnold.
2B. Start Jared Goff, dammit.
3. In the two games since Braelon Allen went on IR, Breece Hall has gotten 82% of the Jets’ RB touches.
3A. Three of the last four RBs to get at least 15 touches against the Carolina Panthers have scored at least 16 fantasy points.
3B. The Panthers have also given up a receiving touchdown to an opposing RB in two straight games.
3C. More of an opinion than fact, but while I know it’s gross to even consider after last week, I actually think the Jets’ offensive players you care about will be solid this week, especially Hall.
4.Over the last four weeks, no team has allowed more rushing yards per game (150) or a higher yards per carry against (6.4) to RBs than… the Miami Dolphins.
4A. The Dolphins have given up at least 20 fantasy points to an opposing RB in four of their past five games.
4B. Quinshon Judkins and the Cleveland Browns are actually favored in this game.
5. No team in the NFL has allowed more rushing touchdowns to opposing RBs this year than… the Tennessee Titans.
5A. It’s not skewed by a big performance, either. The Titans have allowed at least one rushing TD to a RB in every game this year.
5B. Over the last two weeks, Rhamondre Stevenson has seen 83% of New England’s goal line attempts.
6. Over the last four weeks, only two teams in the NFL allow more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than… the Indianapolis Colts.
6A. In the past two games, Ladd McConkey has had five red zone targets. (He had only one red zone target in the first four games.)
6B. There’s a chance Colts star slot corner Kenny Moore once again misses this game or is limited in his first game back. (Moore practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday for the first time in weeks.)
7. In the three full games that Rashee Rice played last season, he had a 33.7 target share.
7A. Rice’s opponent in his first game back from suspension will be the Las Vegas Raiders, currently bottom five in both fantasy points and yards allowed to opposing wide receivers.
7B. Not a fact, but dude. You’ve waited this long to have him in your lineup. You and Patrick Mahomes. What are you waiting for? Get him in there.
8. For three straight weeks, Travis Hunter’s route participation has increased.
8A. Last week, it was a season high 86%.
8B. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this week that the team is making it a priority to design and call more plays in which Hunter is the No. 1 option.
8C. Look, I have him ranked 40th this week so let’s not get crazy, but I remain optimistic on Hunter overall, and as a potential sleeper this week.
9. Only one tight end this year has run more routes than… Cade Otton.
9A. Last week, with all the injuries to Tampa Bay’s pass catchers, Otton saw a season high 26% target share.
9B. Over the last two years, when Otton gets at least a 20% target share, he averages 14.7 PPG.
10. Last week, Harold Fannin had a season high 78% route participation.
10A. His Utilization Score of 90 (on a scale of 1-100) last week was fourth-best among ALL tight ends.
10B. Only four teams allow more yards per game to opposing tight ends than the Miami Dolphins.
10C. They also give up the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends.
10D. Fellow Browns tight end David Njoku didn’t practice on Wednesday and is “day-to-day” with a knee injury.
