On The Heath

I always have at least one of these weeks every year; a week where it seems like a foregone conclusion that I will lose. I'm not talking about those times when the opposition is so much better that it will take a miracle to pull off a win. I'm talking about those times when I am evenly matched or almost always in possession of the superior team on that given week and yet I still have the dark feeling that no choice I make will be the right one.

The reason I call it being on the Heath is that I am usually so unsure of my choices that I pay special attention to the "experts" I refer to. They all seem to support my choices, yet there's still something in their tones that tell me that they aren't giving me the full picture. They become the "Weird Sisters" seeming to promise me victory but always with a shrug in their voice and a "should" rather than a "will" in their promises. "LenDale White should get 25 carries". "Maurice Jones-Drew should get stopped by the Tennessee defense like he was stopped in week 1." "Jason Witten should continue his dominance over the same Giants team he has dominated for the last two years"...

Almost every player I started or benched on every one of my teams was mentioned with a "should"--either positive or negative--in something I read or listened to being put forth by a paid fantasy football expert. Every one I started had an average of four out of five stars beside their names on the two sites that use that rating system. Every one of the players I left on the bench had at least three and usually two stars beside their names. Almost all of them were more productive.

That inferred shrug I mentioned is both as chilling and as ridiculous as the idea of a forest walking up to my front door. How can all of these productive players have bad games?

The truth is most of them didn't have bad games. They performed at or just below their average. The problem was that the matchup should have given them much higher numbers but mostly due to nagging injuries or defensive adjustments they didn't.

Then there are those one or two players in the lineup that completely fall off the table. My old pal LenDale on one team, Jason Witten on another, Kevin Jones and Braylon Edwards who both had touchdowns but sub-subpar yardage and reception totals. (Jones actually ended up with two-digit negative yardage! He set a record in futility.) I think of these players as the tragic flaw in my team that week. All indications prior to kick-off were that they would be at least fine. No consideration was given to the fact that they had been doing so well previously that it became the opposing team's full mission would be to take them out of the game.

And then when I hoped for a miracle to occur for me as has happened in the past during Sunday and Monday Night games, I saw only rain fall on and impair the efforts of Joseph Addai, Antonio Gates, and Matt Hasselbeck. While my opponents' champion, Reggie Wayne (He actually did me in on two separate teams.) rose above the elements and double and triple coverage to bury all my hopes for the week. Shockingly, I have been referring to him for over a year as "The Touchdown Thane". This can not be coincidence.

On top of all of this was the fact that I was suffering from the worst flu I have had in seven years. And the first one I've ever had while playing fantasy football. Such illnesses usually hit me in the dead of winter. Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of colds but those are enjoyable to deal with while convalescing with blankets and notebooks around me. When a bad flu hits, all I want to do is drop my head back and dream of a time when I might feel good again.

It was due to this that I trusted the numbers even more than I usually do when I arrive at The Heath. But even so, the choices I make when confronted with these omens always add up to ultimate destruction.

These are the weeks that are always on my mind while I do all the preparation and post-game evaluation during the other weeks.

For a fantasy football player I compare this week to "Upset Saturday" in college football. You know it's coming you just hope you survive it. Luckily all my teams are still in playoff contention so the possibility of ultimate triumph is still mine.