Often what separates those who consistently perform well in the playoffs and those that struggle is their level of loyalty.
I only play in two leagues. I did the seven-league thing for a tick and didn’t care for it, as the same guy who wins for you in one league, daggers you in another. We all know each other. When the season begins, I make it clear that any player on my roster is available in trade.
By midseason, I catch a whiff of the temperature of what teams are on fumes and which ones can make a run and start making moves to add players that have high ceilings and aren’t performing. This year, I made one of those and had the albatross of Odell Beckham Jr. At some point or another, I’ve found a way to have OBJ every season of his career – much in the same way I found ways to have Terrell Owens on my roster and annually trade away Frank Gore when his value was highest.
Where OBJ comes in is the fundamental difference between fantasy owners. I’m willing to make moves up until about Week 8. At that point, I will trade away multiple players to get one. Once I have my roster assembled to my liking, barring injuries, it’s “Regulators! Let’s ride!”
I was in my playoff semifinal this weekend with a guy who had made a living off of drafting Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Austin Hooper at various stages of the draft. In reality, the Falcons had sucked most of the year, but each of those three, in his own way, has been prolific.
Julio had hit a rough patch. He hadn’t scored a touchdown since September. He hadn’t hit 100 yards since October and he looked banged up.
In my world view, his name is Julio F. Jones and you don’t bench JFJ regardless of how bad his numbers are. Karma gonna getcha.
I had the option of OBJ and D.K. Metcalf. All I had to do was click on Metcalf five minutes before the games started and it was a done deal.
I couldn’t do it.
I’m loyal.
My opponent had the choice of Julio or Kenny Golladay. The investment he made in Jones, who he hadn’t benched all season with the exception of his bye week and the game he missed against the Saints due to injury.
Unlike me, shortly before the games began Sunday, he opted to bench Julio and play Golladay.
My loyalty made me three points (14 for Beckham, 11 for Metcalf). His disloyalty cost him 31 points (seven for Golladay, 38 for Julio).
I won by 18 points.
Sometimes, having the loyalty gene deep in your DNA pays off – which is why, for the fourth straight year, I’m headed to my league championship game and looking for my third win in the process.
My opponent has the luxury of screaming, “Why?!” for the next eight months. Life is good! Hopefully, you’re still playing (and not benching your studs).
Here is the Week 16 Championship Week edition of the Fantasy Market Report:
RISERS
Tyler Higbee – Sometimes all a guy needs is an opportunity to become a fantasy playoff legend. Through the first 11 games of the season, the most catches he had in a game were five and the most yards he had were 47. When Gerald Everett went down with an injury, Higbee was pushed into the forefront. In the three games Everett has missed, Higbee had blown up, being targeted 33 times and catching 26 passes for 334 yards (more than 100 each game) and a touchdown. It’s hard to believe a guy on the waiver wire could be critical to winning a championship.
Allen Robinson – He has had an up and down season, but when you look at his overall numbers (83-1,023-7) those are starter fantasy numbers. But, over his last four games, he has scored four touchdowns and, in the only game he didn’t score, he had seven catches for 125 yards. If there is such a thing as being a quiet fantasy stud, Robinson is one of them.
Ezekiel Elliott – He doesn’t get the credit he deserves as being a dominant player. Some fantasy owners were a little gun shy when he threatened to sit out over a contract dispute, but he has been as consistent as any running back this side of Christian McCaffrey. He rolled up his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season Sunday and has scored 12 TDs in 14 games, including two touchdowns in each of the fantasy playoff games and three two-TD games in his last five. When you need Zeke to produce, all he does is deliver.
Devin Singletary – At a time when running backs tandems are in vogue, the Bills are getting to see what they’ve got in Singletary. He got injured in September and missed three games, so he still doesn’t have more rushing attempts than Frank Gore, but he’s averaging two yards a carry. In the last seven games, he has 15 or more carries five times. In those games, he has rush yardage totals of 75, 87, 89, 95 and 106. If he can keep Josh Allen from stealing all his goal-line touchdowns, he could be a stud.
Adrian Peterson – He’s not the Hall of Famer who took the torch away from LaDainian Tomlinson eight games into his rookie season, but, for those who have thrown him flex style into their lineups when games have meant the most, All Day has delivered. You see at Carolina, at Green Bay and vs. Philadelphia, you could legitimate cause for pause. But, Peterson’s rushing stat lines the last three games have been 13-99-1, 20-76-1 and 16-66-1. Those who have played him have got what they hoped for.
FALLERS
Baker Mayfield – Maybe after the season, we’ll find out there is something wrong with Mayfield’s shoulder. He is throwing almost nothing but short passes and has as many interceptions (17) as he has touchdowns. Even against a forgiving Cardinals defense, he struggled to get anything going. He has more than one TD pass in one game and has one TD or less in nine games. He has become a liability that most owners have benched, but those who had likely will take him off their draft list for next year.
DeDe Westbrook – There is no questioning Westbrook’s talent, but he has been one of the most overrated fantasy players in the league this season. He has only scored two touchdowns (and one of those came in Week 1). He has two games with 70 or more yards and has six games with 32 or fewer yards (and was inactive and unavailable). Those who still held out hope may have made a bold move to put him in the lineup with D.J. Chark out. How did he respond? Two catches for 14 yards. Rid yourself of Westbrook on principle.
Amari Cooper – 2019 has been classic Cooper. He’s caught 71 passes for 1,073 yards and eight touchdowns – clear fantasy starter numbers. He has had two blowout huge games, six good to very good games and a handful of scuds. What makes matters worse for the erratic Cooper is the randomness of it. Three games after catching no passes against New England, Jalen Ramsey shut him down for the Rams. When teams needed him the most to advance to the fantasy championship game in most leagues, he gave them one catch for 19 yards because he was only targeted twice. Classic Cooper!
Tevin Coleman – He’s been on this before. For a team as successful as the 49ers, it’s shocking given how much they invested in Jerick McKinnon, who has yet to play with anyone but Minnesota two years after he left the Vikings and became the fifth-highest paid running back in the league at the time. The Niners doubled down on Coleman. The highest-paid back is the No. 3 guy. In the last three games, Raheem Mostert has rushed 43 times for 265 yards, caught five passes for 53 yards and scored four touchdowns. In that same span, Coleman has 12 carries for 52 yards, one reception for nine yards and no touchdowns. The last two years, the best RBs the 49ers had were the in-house guys they ignored.
Josh Gordon – How many second chances can one man get? It was announced Monday that Gordon was suspended indefinitely for the fifth time in his eight-year career. While there has been talk about mental health issues, most of his previous suspensions have directly involved failed drug tests. The NFL has been more than lenient after he missed two full seasons due to suspensions in his time with Cleveland from 2014-18, he played in just 11 games after bursting on the scene the year before, catching 87 passes for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. He had the ability to be an elite NFL player. Now it looks like his fifth strike is his last.