As a sports fan, if you’re like me, you tip your hat to perfection: a
158.3 QB passer rating, a perfect game, a 12-for-12 shooting night on the hard
court, a 46-save shutout on the ice, a hole in one, . . . In the fantasy world,
I’ve never experienced perfection. My
best start was 9-0. My best record was
13-3.
How hard is it to achieve a perfect fantasy season? If you faced the Chiefs DST Week 3, Ezekiel
Elliott Week 10, or Le’Veon Bell Week 14, you had two strikes against you. If one of your start players got hurt in the
first quarter—like A.J. Green on the first pass of his Week 11 contest—you probably
found yourself digging out of a hole. If
one bye week hit you particularly hard, you might have had to scrounge for
middling waiver talent to fill the gaps.
And so on, and so on.
If there are as many ways to lose as there are to win, why does losing
often feel effortless? Occasional
futility hits nearly everyone. Most players’
numbers ebb and flow. Hitting the sweet
spot week after week is a statistical oddity.
Some of you might be 14-1 and going for the title this weekend. Others could be 15-0. Before the season gets away from us, let’s
take a moment and celebrate greatness—and maybe in some cases, perfection. I know Larry Damron entered this past weekend
14-0. Who else deserves a shout-out?
Shifting gears, on today’s wralsportsfan.com website I’ve got a piece
on Week 16 RBs facing stiff run defenses, which might force some tough
decisions depending on who you’re leaning on.
And one of my last podcasts of the season (as always, with WRAL sports
editor Aaron Schoonmaker) will hit later today.
There will be plenty to talk about this week. Tomorrow we’ll start with overrated and
underrated QBs. I hit four of five in
last Wednesday’s column. This week I’ll
keep aiming for perfection.