Another Fantasy Lament

I thought this would be the year I had a good fantasy team. I actually spent some of my time on Labor Day into preparing for the draft. And I managed some good fortune when I wound up with the #1 overall pick. Of course I went with Todd Gurley. And that's worked out fine for me.

But otherwise this season has been a disaster. I went 4-9 and missed the playoffs. I had some bad luck in my weekly matchups and finished with the second-most points against in the leauge. Not that I've done that well offensively - the average fantasy score is 120 and I've only exceeded that four times (and I lost two of those).

My draft was a disaster:

2nd round (20) - Rob Gronkowski. He's only reached double digits three weeks, and only exceeded 20 once, in week 1. Not good value for that pick.

3rd round (21) - LeSean McCoy. Only five double digit performances, only one time over 20, and I missed on benefitting from most of those because I had him benched. An awful pick by me.

4th round (40) - Doug Baldwin. Also awful. Dropped him after week 2 and that was actually a good move.

5th round (41) - Jarvis Landry. A decent pick, I guess. He's returned appropriate value at 12 points per week, but nothing spectacular.

6th round (60) - Chris Hogan. Terrible pick. He had one good game, in week 2, but I dropped him after week 4.

7th round (61) - Corey Davis. An okay pick, had a couple of games of 20+ points, but he wasn't in my lineup for either one.

8th round (80) - Devin Funchess. Dropped him after week 3 because he was on a bye and never had a compelling reason to bring him back.

9th round (81) - Carlos Hyde. He was actually pretty decent, with four straight double digit games to start the year. Then he was traded to Jacksonville, his value disappeared, and I dropped him after week 6.

10th round (100) - Cooper Kupp. I'll say it was actually a decent pick, but he missed a few games mid season before being lost for the season.

11th round (101) - Drew Brees. A good value - top 5 quarterback for the year. He had a couple of bad weeks, which both came on weeks I lost but might have won with a better QB performance.

No brilliant free agent pickups to make up for any of the crappy choices either. Tyler Boyd was the only decent one. He's produced at 15 per since I picked him up after week 4.

So oh well. Better luck next year.

The Kid Who Didn't Think He Liked Sports

I went to my first professional sporting event in June 1983. My dad, my grandma, and I took a road trip to Dallas, Texas that summer to visit my aunt and uncle and they treated us to a night at the ballpark. Thanks to the internet, I can pinpoint exactly what game it was because I can remember my dad talking about how we saw Jack Morris pitch. There were some other significant names playing that night: Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Bucky Dent...but at the time I couldn't have cared less. I think we left the game early and for most of my life I've felt bad because I thought maybe I was being too big of a pill. But now that I look back, the Rangers were down 7-0 in the fourth inning and 12-1 by the seventh inning stretch so maybe that's why we bailed.

My interests in the summer of 1983 and the following school year were primarily the following:

1. Star Wars
2. Star Wars
3. Star Wars
4. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
5. Dukes of Hazzard
6. Star Wars

And I think that was pretty much it. After all, this was the same summer that Return of the Jedi was released. I spent tons of time with my Star Wars action figures during this time frame and thinking of how I could acquire more of them.

My mom, however, felt I needed to socialize with others and signed me up for a program called "Kid Wrestling" in which you were dropped off at the strange, unfamiliar high school and were taught the principles of grappling. Again, I couldn't have cared less what they were talking about. I wasn't the aggressive type, so what was the need to learn combat techniques? Mostly I spent the time worrying that they would make me wrestle one of the big mean kids. I must have sufficiently expressed my displeasure as I don't remember going to very many practices and or the big "tournament" - whatever the heck that was. Thank goodness. Who wants to waste a Saturday on that?

But I wasn't completely off the hook. After school let out for the summer, my mom signed me up for T-ball. Didn't anyone understand that I was happy just playing Star Wars and riding my bike around? I can remember the very first practice I went to - I knew nothing about baseball. I think they asked all the kids if they wanted to play outfield or infield. I chose outfield, which was a pretty good choice for a kid who didn't know anything about the game and didn't care to learn. I remember the weather at the first practice: windy, cold, overcast. When would it be time to go home?

I guess I went to more practices and a few games although I'm sure I also skipped as many as I could get away with. My parents tell one story about my team from that T-ball season. An opponent smashed a long drive to the outfield and we all just watched it go. The coaches yelled for us to get the ball and so the entire team took off running to the outfield to retrieve it.

Later that summer was the famous 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. I remember the Olympics being on TV but don't think I watched very much of them. I have a vague memory of going to watch the torch as it passed through our town on US Highway 285. I sometimes wonder if that really happened. Because why on earth were the Olympics routing the torch through our tiny remote town? But based on this, apparently it did happen. Click "facts and figures" on that page to see the route map.

I remember my dad sometimes laying on the floor and watching college football or a baseball game on television. Sometimes I'd sit and watch for a few minutes and maybe ask who was playing. But that was about as far as it went.

The Denver Broncos were always on the periphery. Sometimes they were on television, but it was no more significant to me than an episode of Knots Landing being on TV. On October 15, 1984 (34 years ago tomorrow) the Broncos were hosting Green Bay on Monday Night Football and it was dumping down snow in Denver. The Broncos improbably returned two fumbles for touchdowns on each of the Packers' first two plays from scrimmage. I remember my dad being kind of excited, but as for me it wasn't really any more significant than what we were eating for dinner that night.

And so I tell you all this so you can understand where I was with respect to sports in October 1984. Check back for the next post - "The Awakening".

Z List: Favorite Fruits

I recently learned that there is a difference between "botanical fruits" and "culinary fruits". The only fruits getting consideration are "culinary" so we don't need to get into a discussion about whether or not tomatoes are a fruit. Can we be done with that, by the way? Tomatoes, although wonderful, are a vegetable.

Ten. Pear. When I started thinking about this list, I expected pears to come out much higher. Now don't get me wrong: I love a nice, juicy pear that you have to eat over a sink. But what else do you do with a pear? You don't eat it on cereal or with ice cream. There's no market for pear juice. And it's going to lose 9 out of 10 times head to head against an apple or a peach.

Nine. Orange. You can't have a list without the orange, partially due to orange juice, the queen of all fruit juices. I do love a good orange, but it's hard to rank it higher because it's so hard to find a good one. Most end up being too bland or pulpy so I usually don't bother. If I could eat a good orange every day they would probably be much higher. But until I move to citrus country. . .

Eight. Banana. They are very portable and widely available, but one day they are too green and the next too brown, because you missed the 12-hour window of perfectness. Bananas are at their best as part of something else: banana bread, banana split, banana cream pie, banana in your cereal or your fruit salad. And have you ever heard anyone say, wow, that was the best banana I ever had? Nope. They're all about the same. Maybe it's different if you live close to the Equator.

Seven. Pineapple. A really good pineapple is quite the treat. The only problem is the amount of cutting you need to do and the fact that your mouth hurts if you eat too much. Some cursory research told me that it's because pineapple contains bromelain, an protein-digesting enzyme. So the bromelain actually digests the soft skin inside your mouth. Solution? Grill it, which neutralizes the bromelain and is another great way to enjoy pineapple.

Six. Strawberry. Like the banana, strawberries seem to be best as a complement. Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry milkshake. Strawberry jam. Chocolate-covered strawberries. Special K with red berries. But does anyone sit down to eat a bowl of strawberries? Not really. One or two and I've usually had enough.

Five. Cantaloupe. My favorite of the melons. More flavor than the honeydew and easier to deal with than the watermelon. Great texture, taste, and color. Scooping out the seeds in the middle is very satisfying. Plus I like the ridgy rind, which makes it easy to hold in one hand like a mini-basketball. Although the surface of a cantaloupe is apparently a known carrier of salmonella and other bacteria. So...wash before you cut I guess.

Four. Cherry. Even with the seed, it's like 10x better than its bite-size rival, the grape. The seed is not a huge problem for me. Just eat it and spit out the seed when you're done. I don't know if I'll ever make a favorite ice cream list, but if I did, the black cherry variety would come out on top. Plus, what is always the best flavor of any medicine? It's cherry.

Three. Apples. I never expected apples to come out so high, partially due to all the bad ones I've eaten outside of apple season. But the apple is possibly the most versatile of all fruits. Apple pie. Apple juice. Apple cider. Applesauce. Carmel apple. Apple crisp. Candy apple. Apple butter. Apple fritter. Put it on your fruit salad, in your pancakes, or serve it with peanut butter. I sound like the shrimp guy on Forest Gump.

Two. Blueberry. I've really been on a blueberry thing lately. I have a bowl of blueberries with vanilla yogurt and granola and it is super good. An even better breakfast though, is the blueberry pancake. I love how it breaks open and spreads its warm berry goodness. Same effect with the blueberry muffin. Also I prefer the Oregon Blueberry shake at Good Times. I have nothing negative to say about the blueberry. It's what all berries should aspire to be.

One. Peach. If you put the best version of every one of these fruits out on a table, I'm grabbing the peach. That's the test. Also, peach cobbler > apple crisp and peaches 'n cream > strawberries 'n cream. I realize it's much easier to acquire fresh peaches in Colorado than some of the other fruits on the list, so I'm probably a little biased in that respect, but until the citrus growers association ships me a crate of fresh oranges FedEx in an attempt to change my mind, I'll just sit and eat my peaches.

Adventures in Teaching Primary

At church, I teach a primary class of kids 7 and 8 years old. Sometimes things go as planned, but often they don't. Last Sunday, I was teaching them about shepherds and sheep - as in Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and how he said that a good shepherd would leave the ninety and nine and go after the one that was lost. The manual offered a rendering of a sheep, and suggested making one for each member of the class and to write their name on it, both for those that come regularly and those that do not, to illustrate the concept of each of us being one of Jesus' fold.

First of all, check out this sheep. If you fell asleep while counting sheep and then woke up in the middle of the night and found this staring at you, would you be going back to sleep that night?

I think not.

I finished my prepared material a little early and I kind of had in my back pocket one of the suggested enrichment activities where the children could write a note to the absent class members telling them that they were missed at primary. And since I had a little sheep of paper with each person's name, I figured it would be easy enough to just use that to write the note on.

I second-guessed myself almost immediately, because is that rude, to deliver a note to someone with a sheep on it, implying that they have gone astray because they missed one Sunday?

But the activity was already underway. At least I know that I explained it well enough that one of my kids "got it":

Some kids didn't quite have the right tone:

And then there was this one:

So yeah, I decided not to deliver these. But they provided some good entertainment. 

Z List: Favorite Breakfast Cereals

Ten. Cocoa Puffs. Am I cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs? Not exactly, or else it would be number one, but probably the quintessential "sugar" cereal. Often referenced in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip as "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs" and that pretty much sums it up. Just crunchy, sugary balls, and in the end you have chocolate milk. Brilliant.

Nine. Frosted Flakes. I mean, Corn Flakes are okay. And nothing more than okay. But coat them in sugar, and they are. . . well, grrrrrrreat! And try to think of another cereal mascot who could defeat Tony the Tiger. You can't, because there isn't one. Imagine what he would do to the Trix Rabbit. I can still remember the jingle from my childhood: The taste of Kellogg's Frosted Flaaaaakes....brings out the tiger in you!

Eight. Fruity Pebbles. I'm taking these over other "fruity" cereals such as Fruit Loops or Trix because of their light, airy goodness. And so pleasing to the eye with the rainbow of colors. I mean, something that flaky and fruity can't be bad for you, right? Gobble up heaping spoonfuls of the pebbles and you're ready for the next bowl, because there is no way you are going to be able to fish out every stray flake until all the milk is gone. . .

Seven. Cheerios. Lest you think I'm some sort of sugar addict (which I am, but I don't want you to think it, that's all), I'm putting classic Cheerios on here for their versatility. And because at some point the Honey Nut version became nasty. Anyways, start with the simple, flavorless o's and add bananas or blueberries or whatever you want. I always add sugar. I'm sure it's still figures out to be less than the sugar content in other cereals. Right?

Six. Apple Jacks. No dang bee or leprechaun or toucan needed to sell these. You know why? It's that good of a sugar cereal. It's like a classier version of Fruit Loops. For people with a discerning taste.

Five. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Most of the cereals on this list date back to before I was born. But I can remember when the notorious CTC burst onto the breakfast scene in the mid-80's with the cinnamon toast crunch bakers and their cinnamon toast crunch shakers. And while many cereals have come and gone since then, these little square delights sprinkled with cinnamon sugar have become a General Mills juggernaut.

Four. Corn Chex. Like their General Mills brethren, Cheerios, these score extra points for their adaptability. We all know the endless variations of the Chex Mix, whether you make it on your own or buy it prepackaged. They are also the key ingredient to the famed "muddy buddies" snack. But they couldn't be on this list if they weren't also good in a bowl with milk (and of course, a sprinkling of sugar), and they ace that test.

Three. Special K with Red Berries. A lot of cereals delved into the freeze-dried berry arena during the era these hit the supermarket shelves. But no one did it quite as well. The Special K flakes were just the right amount of crunch to complement the tasty strawberry chunks, with nothing else added to detract from the combination. I don't need any almond slivers or granola clusters. Just flakes and berries. Flakes and berries. The only complaint I ever had was that the berries weren't well distributed throughout the box so by the time you got to the bottom it was mostly flakes.

Two. Frosted Mini Wheats. Pour some milk over these and give it a few minutes to penetrate these sugary biscuits, and you have a delightful treat. It's the polar opposite of Fruity Pebbles, as you can savor each and every one individually. And even though they are covered in sugar, you still walk away without too much guilt because it has wheat right in the name.

One. Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Is it cereal perfection? Maybe. Just the right amount of sweetness added. . . not as bland as the Cheerio but not as loaded with sugar as the Cocoa Puff. Can be eaten with or without milk. The right amount of crunch, even with milk.  A box is a little more expensive than some of the others on the list, and there are no generic or bagged versions, so they feel a little more special. And of course, the healthiness implied in the name leaves you feeling like you've just saved a life. Yours.

Thoughts on The Last Jedi

After two weeks, I finally was able to go and see Episode VIII with the family. 

Here's my background. I'm in my 40s and grew up with the original trilogy. I've seen all of them dozens of times. I was an avid collector of the action figures from about 1982 to 1984. I read the first Timothy Zahn book that came out but that's about as far as I went with the expanded universe material. I find the attempt to replace the original stories with the special editions abominable. The prequels are okay, I'm not as down on them as some folks, but they just aren't as rewatchable as the originals. I've only been to see one of the Star Wars movies on opening night (Attack of the Clones). I'm far too busy these days to spend too much time thinking about Star Wars.

I spent some time reading some of the criticisms after seeing the movie, and I wanted to react to some of those opinions and give some of my own thoughts on the movie. Before too much time passes and I don't care anymore.

Entertainment-wise, The Last Jedi delivered. So I won't be one of those who says it was a waste of money. I paid $60 for the movie to entertain my family for a couple of hours and I received what I paid for. I think if I go see it again on the big screen, and I most likely will, I would be entertained again. But beyond that. . . I'm not sure. Is it a movie that I would thirst to watch over and over on DVD? 

Visually, TLJ is great to look at. The great triumph of The Force Awakens was that it wasn't as fake-looking as some of the prequels. Could be advances in technology, could be better filmmaking. I'm not sure. I'm just the audience and I like what I see.

They did well in casting Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley. You can say whatever about the flaws in the story behind their characters, and there are some valid criticisms, but if they are on screen, I pay attention. A big step up from having to watch the awkward Hayden Christensen/Natalie Portman/Ewan McGregor triumvirate.

I'm okay with what they did with Luke in this movie. What did people expect? That he's just been anxiously waiting years for someone to come after him? No, of course not! He didn't want to be found. So of course he'd be a little annoyed at Rey for showing up unannounced and it would take some time for him to come around.

I love that there were no desert planets. We got a casino planet and a salt planet.

A lot of criticisms out there about the humor. The crank-call to the Star Destroyer seemed a bit out of place, but then again it does seem consistent with Poe's character as he did the same sort of clowning to Kylo Ren early in Episode VII.

Luke milking the weird creature for a blue beverage? I liked it. It seemed like a reference to dinner with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in Episode IV.

Chewbacca guilted into not eating the Porgs? It's okay to have a few lighter moments.

Leia's force-float? I guess so, but why? If I'd been in charge, I would have done something different. But I'm not in charge.

What's the point of Captain Phasma? It seems like we're meant to feel in awe of her mighty strength, but up to this point she's about as incompetent as every other stormtrooper, just with a little better armor.

What's the point of the Finn character? It seems like in the Force Awakens he was positioned to be maybe a love interest for Rey or maybe someone who possessed some force capabilities (he did wield a lightsaber). And in this movie, he's back to the guy who wants to run away. He gets a plot thread where he gets to ride the space horses through the casino. I really wanted him to drive into the big cannon at the end of the movie, partially because he's kind of a pointless character to still be dragging around, but also because it would provide some sort of resolution for the character. He told Rose earlier that he wasn't a Resistance Hero. But that was his chance to really become one! By sacrificing himself for the cause! But no, Rose knocked him off course so she could deliver her peace & love message.

And Rose! What was that kiss? If you're going to kiss him, KISS him. I've seen people kiss their mom more passionately than that. It made me think, oh, maybe Rose doesn't actually like boys. 

Which brings me to another point. These movies are totally devoid of any romance. I mean, I realize it's sci-fi/fantasy, but the tension between Han and Leia really added some wonderful flavor to the original trilogy. Maybe after the disastrous scenes between Anakin and Padme they don't even want to chance it. But seriously, they haven't even left open any possibilities. Who in the Disney version of Star Wars would ever get together?

Finn and Rey? I guess not.

Kylo and Rey? No way, and kind of gross. Very sibling-eque vibe between them.

Hux and Phasma? That would have been something. And then she files a workplace sexual harassment suit against him.

Finn and Rose? Could've been, until the lame kiss.

Poe and BB-8? I mean, this is clearly the most viable love story going.

I mean, there's really just absolutely nothing going on. I thought Disney was good at princesses and romance and stuff. I guess not. . .

It was kind of annoying at the end where Finn and Rose are seconds away from being executed, and then the whole deck and everyone on it are blasted to smithereens. Oh, except for Finn and Rose, who are rescued by BB-8 who was inexplicably able to get up into and pilot one of the Imperial Walkers from Endor.

I thought TLJ was a little bit too long. The throne room conflict was pretty epic. But would that have been better saved for the next movie, or at the very least, been the end of this one? 

And what was the point of Snoke? It seems like they thought, hey, we need an Emperor-like figure who's pulling all the strings. Let's give him a name that sounds like something out of Harry Potter and plug him in there! It was super cool to see him get sawed in half though.

I'm not sure where they go from here. What's left?

Han dead. Luke dead. Leia will be dead. Snoke dead, Laura Dern also dead. Unless she too, was able to use the force-float to save herself.

Rey has already faced Snoke and Kylo Ren and resisted the dark side.

I guess the questions still out there are:

1) will Kylo Ren turn away from the dark side or will he be destroyed? It has to be one or the other.

2) what will happen with the Resistance? They are depleted, but I'm guessing they eventually triumph.

3) Is it true that Rey's parents were nobodies, or was Kylo Ren making up stuff? And does it even matter? 

4) Perhaps most importantly. . . will Rose live? (I'm being facetious)

TLJ showcases a fair amount of Girl Power! and Equality! We already had Leia, then we add Rey, the next generation of Jedi. We have Finn, the black escapee Stormtrooper, and Phasma, the robust lady stormtrooper (however lame she may be). And now we have Rose freeing the space horses and Laura Dern using light speed to slice the First Order ship in half. It seems like they are really eager to  introduce these diverse characters into the Star Wars universe even though there's really no place for many of them to go in the overall story. 

And the overall story isn't great. Making a case that it's anything other than the story from the original trilogy dressed up a little differently is hard to do.

But if you think about it from a business perspective, Disney didn't pay 4 billion dollars to tell a story that speaks to the souls of Star Wars fans. They paid it to make money, and lots of it. They probably don't care about recycled plot lines or poor character development. A little nostalgia, lots of explosions, and if in the end it doesn't all make sense, they probably don't really care as long as there are butts in the seats. 

Star Wars was born out of George Lucas's desire to tell a story. The prequels were born out of a desire to showcase new filmmaking technology. And the Disney versions are born out of a desire to make gobs off money off a proven franchise. We can take it or leave it. They aren't in it to make art. 

As Han said to Leia in the original film: Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money. 

And Leia responds: You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all you love, then that is what you shall receive.

Disney is getting their reward.

Middle of the Pack

Another fantasy season has come and gone. And again, I finished middle-of-the-pack, fifth place out of ten. Overall, not a bad season. If you look at it from a rotisserie-style point of view, I was second overall in points scored.

So many decisions have to be made over the course of a fantasy season. And you can put a numerical value on everything, so it is very easy to second guess yourself. If I had only drafted this guy, or passed on this guy, or known to start this guy or bench that guy, or had added this guy before he got hot. There's no way to know.

But really, the pivotal week of my season was the first week of the playoffs, week 14. I'd earned the third seed on the basis of my 7-6 record. I lost 131-124, knocking me from title contention. The ball did not bounce my way, so to speak, in four key ways that week.

Number 1: Rob Gronkowski, my #2 scorer, was suspended for week 14 due to his late hit the previous week. I picked up Jason Witten to be my TE for that week, and he was solid, getting me 9 points. But if Gronkowski had been on the field, would he have been able to get me the additional 8 points I needed for the win? Considering he scored 17 or more in 7 of his 14 games on the season, there was at least a 50% chance he would have.

Number 2: The Thursday night matchup that week was Falcons v. Saints. I had three Falcons on my roster at that time: RB Devonta Freeman, K Matt Bryant, and WR Mohamed Sanu. I seriously considered starting all three. But since it was the first game of the week, I didn't want to hinder my chances of competing if the Falcons laid out a stinker. I started Freeman, who put up 15 points in his best performance since week 4. Win! Bryant put up a solid 10 points. Win! But I left Sanu on the bench instead of plugging him in as my flex for the week. He matched his best fantasy performance of the season, scoring 20, and I didn't get any of it. If he'd been in there, those 20 points would have given me a narrow win.

Number 3: Carson Wentz was my sterling free-agent pickup of the year at QB, and was injured in the third quarter of the Eagles' shootout win over the Rams. He put up 26 points and was my high scorer for the week. But what if he hadn't been hurt and had played the fourth quarter? Would he have put up my additional 8 points? Perhaps. This is perhaps my weakest what-if argument, as I was also starting the Eagles defense and benefited from a late fumble-return for a touchdown which netted me 7 points, and maybe that doesn't happen if Wentz is still in there. 

Number 4: I was left with three running backs to choose from for my flex play. Latavius Murray, Samaje Perine, and Dion Lewis. Lewis was playing on Monday night. I decided to bench Murray and Perine. It was a good choice as Murray only put up 3 and Perine only managed 8. I knew after Sunday's games that I needed 18 points from Lewis to get the win. And although he'd put up 17 and 18 in the past two weeks, I didn't feel great about the odds of him doing so on a Monday night in Miami. I scanned the other available players and noticed Dolphin RB Kenyan Drake. I'd never heard of him before, but he seemed to be a player on the rise. His last five weeks had produced totals of 15, 17, 2, 11, and 23 just the last week. I considered the boom-or-bust possibilities of handing my playoff life to an anonymous running back. The Dolphins were at home, and the Patriots defense hadn't been great all season. But the projections seemed to be optimistic for Patriot running backs as Gronkowski was not going to be playing. I stayed with Lewis. He got me 11 and no more. Drake rushed for 114 yards and caught 5 passes for 79 yards in Miami's victory. A total of 23 fantasy points.

So I lost and went into the consolation bracket. If I had advanced to the semifinal round, I would have comfortably beaten the #2 seed in week 15. And in the just-concluded week 16, I put up 114 points. The team that won the championship put up 115, but you never know. I may have put more effort into my lineup if I was in title contention. My point is, I very well could have won the title if I had gone the other way on the Lewis vs. Drake decision.

My top four scorers on the season at the "flex" positions of RB/WR/TE were all players I drafted:

Round 4, #36 overall: Larry Fitzgerald, #11 in the league with 241 points

Round 3, #25 overall: Rob Gronkowski, #17 in the league with 221 points

Round 6, #56 overall: Carlos Hyde, #24 in the league with 198 points

Round 5, #45 overall: Golden Tate, #29 in the league with 189 points

So not a bad draft rounds three through six - all those guys were on my roster the entire season and all performed above their draft position. I can't complain.

My draft strategy was "autopick" partially due to circumstances on draft day but also the computer generally does a better job than me. I only picked a couple players manually. 

 

One of those "manual" picks was WR Odell Beckham, at #5 overall. He played only four games on the season due to injury. It's wrong to ponder on the what ifs, but RB LeSean McCoy was #6 overall. He finished the year with 247 points.

Instead, my first RB selection was Devonta Freeman at #16 overall. He finished as the #46 flex player in the league with 164 points, partially due to scoring zero points in three weeks due to injury. Even after adjusting for that factor, he was a little bit of a disappointment, only tallying double digits in three of the last 11 weeks of the season. 

So I didn't get a lot out of my top two picks. 

I wound up with nothing of value in rounds 7 through 10, and my draft strategy was to not select a QB, K, or DEF until the last three rounds because good value can always be found on the free agent market unless you just have your heart set on Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers.

I picked up QB Jameis Winston in round 11, and he was my starter for five of the first weeks of the season, until I went to Carson Wentz. He averaged 22 points a game for the seven weeks he was my starter, and likely would have finished the season as the top-scoring fantasy QB if not for his week 14 injury

.

When the season is over, and you don't end up on top, fantasy football seems like a fantastic waste of time. But when you're in the midst, it's a fun diversion, and I'll probably be back to play again next year.