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Whenever you start a new game or challenge, one is always inclined to feel confident and maybe a little cocky. I don’t know why it is, maybe it’s just the drive to win, the nature of the game or because it’s just a new experience. That only lasts until the game begins and the numbers start to fall, and boy did they ever for me.  After Week 1  wrapped up, I learned the hard way that the news and what happens behind the scenes can be as valuable as the actual game play and the cold statistics.

I was caught out by a few of my players, and that ultimately led to my defeat in my fantasy league match up. Not only that, but I was very nearly relegated to the back of the bus in overall points as well (I did narrowly miss those honors by five points).  Some of my players did better than expected, some tanked and made national news, but what’s really surprising is how many injured players I’m sitting on. I’m mean seriously folks, how can almost half the team be on crutches? Fortunately for me, this also means I’m up high on our next segment of the game. Player drops, free agents and waivers. Since games run from Thursday to Monday night, our fantasy league makes us wait 24 hours before we can enter the waivers period and make changes to our lineups.

I made some bad decisions in Week 1.(Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports)
I made some bad decisions in Week 1.(Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports)

The biggest thing hampering me in is my sheer lack of player knowledge. I know for sure I need a damn Bronco on my team, and Julius Thomas seems to be a hot ticket. Peyton Manning has a good habit of making stars out of Tight Ends, and this seems like a good fit so far. Looking at my numbers, and how they shape up, I’m noticing I have a big gap in my running game. Although David Wilson choked big time last week and ultimately cost me some points, I’m going to keep him in for now, as all the reports are looking favorable for him to get another shot at being top dog for the New York Giants. My other running back, Shane Vereen did do OK last week, but is now out for a long while due to a wrist injury and not slated to return until week 11. That leaves Giovani Bernard, who is supposed to be good on paper, but hasn’t really lived up to his hype yet and doesn’t look to get a whole lot of play this week. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other choice. I need to keep him in the lineup, as I decided to get rid of the injured players on my reserves. However, as I learned last week, it’s not always about the points.

I’m guessing a good trade is about about give and take, so I’ll need to give up a good player in order to attract another good player. Maybe someone will want an awesome, high prospect kicker on a team that needs to kick a lot. Although I do have some decent receivers, including Anquan Boldin, who scored an impressive 26 fantasy league points in week one. Mind you, that would have been enough for me to take the win last week, but since he was sitting on my bench, none of those points counted. After that sobering slap-in-the-face decision, I’m faced with that same decision for week two. Keep Boldin on the bench based on points projections, or play him and take out either Marques Colston or Dez Bryant, both of whom are fresh off of injuries and projected to do better in fantasy points. Games are about to begin on Sunday, so I’ll need to act fast to make any final decisions. But, being that the San Francisco 49ers have had a tough time against the Seattle Seahawks in the past, I’m going to press on with my receivers and see what happens.

About Papa Wheelie

Born from wolves and raised on methanol, Papa Wheelie comes from a long line of motor-heads and adrenaline junkies. Formula 1 and MotoGP are his sports passion, but he also enjoys fine tequila, electronic music and furry animals. You can reach him on Twitter @PapaWheelie11