Two of my contrarian predictions this summer will probably need to be tossed out. This summer I've been advising against drafting the overrated Spencer Ware and Julian Edelman. At the time of writing this (close to midnight Friday night), there's speculation that Edelman could be out for the season, while Ware could miss, at minimum, multiple weeks.
Each year it seems I devote one post to railing against preseason NFL games. Imagine eating your favorite meal, not being able to taste any of it, and then walking away from the table with 10 pounds tacked onto your midsection.
That's a preseason NFL game.
Aside from the players vying for some serious movement up the depth chart, nothing much good comes from a preseason game. I always imagine players breathing sighs of relief when it's over and they're still rocking two healthy ACLs and one extraordinary brain.
Despite my downcast views on Ware's and Edelman's 2017 prospects, fantasy managers who drafted them expected fantasy starter production. Now they're left scrambling. Is Kareem Hunt somehow available? Can they pluck Chris Hogan off waivers? In the blink of an eye, a seemingly strong fantasy team can descend to mediocrity before the games even count.
More importantly, these are yet two more examples of the problem with tune-up games. This isn't touch football. Sure, Ware and Edelman could have suffered the same injuries in Week 1. But I think if we asked 100 NFL players whether they'd rather get hurt in dress rehearsal or when the games matter, all 100 would choose the latter. I don't generally veer away from fantasy talk. But what happened last night doesn't serve these players, their teams, the NFL, or the fans.
Each year it seems I devote one post to railing against preseason NFL games. Imagine eating your favorite meal, not being able to taste any of it, and then walking away from the table with 10 pounds tacked onto your midsection.
That's a preseason NFL game.
Aside from the players vying for some serious movement up the depth chart, nothing much good comes from a preseason game. I always imagine players breathing sighs of relief when it's over and they're still rocking two healthy ACLs and one extraordinary brain.
Despite my downcast views on Ware's and Edelman's 2017 prospects, fantasy managers who drafted them expected fantasy starter production. Now they're left scrambling. Is Kareem Hunt somehow available? Can they pluck Chris Hogan off waivers? In the blink of an eye, a seemingly strong fantasy team can descend to mediocrity before the games even count.
More importantly, these are yet two more examples of the problem with tune-up games. This isn't touch football. Sure, Ware and Edelman could have suffered the same injuries in Week 1. But I think if we asked 100 NFL players whether they'd rather get hurt in dress rehearsal or when the games matter, all 100 would choose the latter. I don't generally veer away from fantasy talk. But what happened last night doesn't serve these players, their teams, the NFL, or the fans.