We talk a lot about short-term needs vs. long-term security. When do we sacrifice one for the other? If you’re 3-5 or 4-4 heading into today, it’s
about winning most/all of your remaining games and hoping for a playoff
spot. If you’re 6-2 or 7-1, you can
afford to close out the season 2-3 and still (likely) sneak in. Not needing to win immediately means we can
take chances on guys like Sammy Watkins or an RB handcuff on the chance they
might dominate down the stretch. It
meant that a few weeks ago we could pick up guys like Devontae Booker, Corey
Coleman, Derrick Henry, and other potential fantasy studs who others couldn’t
afford to waste a bench spot on.
Then there are those of us caught in between. I’m 6-2, but after this week my remaining
opponents are a combined 22-10. Most of
them are stacked. After acquiring Amari
Cooper and Julio Jones this past week, I can definitely compete and win. But all four games will be toss-ups. It means I have to win this week to be in the
driver’s seat. Given how packed the top
eight teams are in the standings, if I lose I’ll need to win three out of four
vs. tough opponents to comfortably lock up a postseason bid.
So when word hit Wednesday that Carlos Hyde might miss today’s game,
I dropped prized handcuff Paul Perkins—my most expendable short-term player—for
DuJuan Harris. With Jeremy Hill on bye,
my only options at the #2 RB slot were Perkins and Kenneth Dixon, neither of whom
was assured (at the time) a meaningful Week 9 role. So I played the percentages, hoping to eke
out 4-6 more points with Harris in what was projected to be a close contest.
This morning, with recent reports suggesting Perkins will start
playing a much bigger role, an opponent grabbed him off waivers. As luck would have it, I’m playing that
opponent in Week 11, when Perkins will be at home facing a beatable Bears D. My short-term Harris move could mean the
different between winning and losing in two weeks.
In hindsight, of course I should have held onto Perkins. Many of us have been in this situation—dropping
future points for immediate production.
The good news is that fantasy seasons are filled with similar
choices. Next week or the week after,
another Perkins-like handcuff will ascend to startability. I messed up this time around. There will be opportunities to get it right
the next time.