I was pulling for the Panthers last night—not because I’m a recent North Carolina transplant, but because Kelvin Benjamin is on my fantasy roster.
This is the point of the season when several NFL teams are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Each week, about one or two more join the group. I don’t want my players to be in that group. I need them to be in the hunt for a playoff spot—to put aside nagging injuries and play like their season depends on it.
How often do we see a somewhat hobbled starting RB on a 3-12 team sit in Week 16, giving way to a rookie or some other backup? If that team were 12-3, that same aching starting RB likely would still be starting.
Once/if Carolina is eliminated from the playoffs, all bets are off regarding Benjamin, Cam, Stewart, Olsen, and even Ginn.
The Bears and 49ers are already in that camp, with guys like Carlos Hyde at a greater risk of sitting later this season . . . when you need him most. The same can be said of Allen Robinson in Jacksonville; Brandon Marshall (though does that matter?) and Matt Forte for the Jets; and Terrelle Pryor, Corey Coleman, Isaiah Crowell, and Duke Johnson in Cleveland.
I’m not saying all of these guys are getting benched during the fantasy playoffs. Not at all. But the probability of them sitting increases with nothing left to play for except pride and stats (and for the younger guys, some highly valued experience).
As more fantasy trade deadlines approach, a team’s won-loss record is one of many factors to consider.
This is the point of the season when several NFL teams are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Each week, about one or two more join the group. I don’t want my players to be in that group. I need them to be in the hunt for a playoff spot—to put aside nagging injuries and play like their season depends on it.
How often do we see a somewhat hobbled starting RB on a 3-12 team sit in Week 16, giving way to a rookie or some other backup? If that team were 12-3, that same aching starting RB likely would still be starting.
Once/if Carolina is eliminated from the playoffs, all bets are off regarding Benjamin, Cam, Stewart, Olsen, and even Ginn.
The Bears and 49ers are already in that camp, with guys like Carlos Hyde at a greater risk of sitting later this season . . . when you need him most. The same can be said of Allen Robinson in Jacksonville; Brandon Marshall (though does that matter?) and Matt Forte for the Jets; and Terrelle Pryor, Corey Coleman, Isaiah Crowell, and Duke Johnson in Cleveland.
I’m not saying all of these guys are getting benched during the fantasy playoffs. Not at all. But the probability of them sitting increases with nothing left to play for except pride and stats (and for the younger guys, some highly valued experience).
As more fantasy trade deadlines approach, a team’s won-loss record is one of many factors to consider.