This is the second installment of what is a tri-weekly recap of the 2020 NFL Season through the nearly transparent filter of fantasy football (find the first installment here). Think of these articles as primarily recaps but with a few fantasy football tidbits and (take ’em with a grain of salt) tips.

Week 4 - Don’t* Wait For It

Week four saw a few players get their big break (for the 3rd or 4th time) and it didn’t go so well. Nick Mullens who had a breakout week 3, albeit against the Giants, looked less-than stellar in week 4 (200 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 1 FUML). Similarly, Brian Hoyer (130 YDS, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 1 FUML) looked out of his element in a starting position after Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19. Prior to these week 4 fiascos, many managers were hoping they had just found their sleeper to ride for the rest of the season… until their dreamy pick-ups turned into nightmares. It appears these career back-ups have become complacent and lost the edge that got them into the league. They waited and they waited and they waited for their chance, and when the opportunity arose for them to really make a name for themselves, they hesitated.

Defenses don’t discriminate

Between the stand-ins and the stars

They take and they take and they take

Brian Hoyer and Nick Mullens are a couple Aaron Burrs of the NFL (along with many others). They’ve had some moments of great success and they have the pedigree to succeed (Nick Mullens’ grandpa Ernie Tabor was a pitcher for the Phillies), but their past achievements and their inherited privilege makes them terrified of losing it all. When the next moment comes around, they often hesitate. They are more than happy to wait it out from fear of losing it all. And yet, as they wait, they’re potentially missing the chance they’re terrified of losing.

And they’ll keep roster spots anyway,

They’ll rise and they’ll fall and they’ll break

Meanwhile, Dak Prescott (29.8 FPPG) and Josh Allen (28.8 FPPG) are the Alexander Hamiltons of the league. They have something to prove and nothing to lose. Their pace is relentless and they’re wasting no time. The Hamiltons have achieved success quickly despite the uphill climb…like being the 8th QB drafted with the 135th pick to back-up a potential Hall-of-Famer or like getting zero D1 scholarship offers out of High School… and have had the naïve nerve to hold on to that success. However, it is worth the reminder that these fearless livewires are susceptible to terrible and sudden departures. And yet, history tends to remember the bright (often fast) burning flames far more fondly than the slow dim burning candles happy to wait their turn. As fantasy football managers it’s our job to try to identify the players who won’t hesitate and are eager for the opportunity to shine.

Week 5 - GOATs

Let’s talk goats. The Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T) conversation is a favorite among talking heads and fans alike. In general, I think the chatter about who might be the GOAT is tossed around far too liberally. Last year there was considerable discussion about Michael Thomas being the GOAT of wide receivers. So far this year, Michael Thomas has played only one game due to injury (not entirely his fault) and disciplinary issues (entirely his fault), and in that one game he had 3 receptions for 17 total yards. In the 2019 season, Thomas was great. He broke the all-time reception record with 149 grabs, but a GOAT?, I don’t think so… more like the Greatest At a Specific Moment, a G.A.S.M. GOATs are once in a lifetime at the most, GASMs can happen weekly if you’re lucky. I have no desire to be a Debbie Downer and minimize great achievements, I just want GOATs to get the respect they're due; however, I’m all for celebrating the GASMs.

Despite my cynicism over the liberal labeling of GOAT, a championship happened outside the NFL this last weekend that unquestionably helped define one particular athlete as a GOAT. And so, I want to take a moment to break away from our fantasy football bubble to recognize true greatness. The debate has been going on for years, and his most recent title absolutely solidifies him as one of the greatest if not the greatest of all time. I, of course, am talking about Rafael Nadal and his 20th grand slam title, which he now holds the record for most Grand Slams along with Roger Federer. Just as impressive, Rafa's record is 100-2 at the French Open. That is the definition of GOATness. And while we’re on the subject of ignoring our football bubble (if the NFL can do it so can we), it should also be mentioned that Lebron James and the Lakers are the GASMs of the 2019-2020 NBA season.

Back to fantasy football. It is our duty as managers to try to identify the great ones. If we’re lucky, we might harness a GASM that hides the blemishes of the rest of our lineups for a season or two. But for many, we’ll need to make week-to-week trips to the gym and salon in order to have something attractive to show off. With injuries piling up like a Duane “The Rock” Johnson cheat meal and the rescheduling of games due to Covid, more so than ever this season has been fought amid the waiver wire. Picking up the right free agent (like Mike Davis who’s averaging 14.5 FPPG since week 2) and dropping the appropriate bench player is its own form of art. Do you bring-on someone for long-term potential but who might not be the belle of the ball from the get-go? Do you drop your productive tight end who’s out for the next couple weeks and hope he hasn’t moved on when you want him back? These are not easy questions. But time after time, the manager who works the waiver wire best, has more success throughout the season.

Greatness does not have to refer to the greatest. Could we be witness to a GOAT in the midst of his journey? It’s very possible. But labeling every great play, game, or even season as the GOAT has got to stop. Let us focus on the moment and achieving greatness within these moments. And if these GASMs occur regularly and with just as much intensity as the first, then maybe we can discuss the emergence of a new GOAT.

Week 6 - Stranger Than Fiction

I recognize I’m beating a dead horse when I say this, but what a strange year. If you wrote this season up as a fictional sitcom, you'd need to do rewrites to make it more realistic. For instance, the last time the Patriots were below .500 this late in the season was eighteen years ago when Everybody Loves Raymond was one of the biggest shows on TV. New England’s second-best player, after Cam Newton (21 FPPG), is their D/ST with 8 fantasy points per game. The “Patriots Show” appears to have taken a big dive when they lost their star. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins who each won just 5 games last year are looking legitimately dangerous. The Cardinals have four players averaging more than 10 FPPG including Kyler Murray’s 25.5 FPPG. Murray’s first season had hints that something great could come out of it, but this far more entertaining second season has shown that this team has the legs to do something special.

Like every year, there have been a few players who steal scenes the instant they bust through the door (see Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry), but who are the sneaky great characters no one saw coming? Chase Claypool, the second-round rookie out of Notre Dame, certainly wasn’t a nobody, but I don’t think anyone expected Claypool to be the number one option on a very talented Steelers offense. Similarly, Travis “Lucille Bluth” Fulgham has made the most out of minimal screen time and is now a bona fide starter and asset with 95 yards a game and a touchdown in each of his three starts. Finding the hidden talent is what’s separating the good from the mediocre right now.

It's difficult to confidently claim there is a great team in the NFL so far this season. Some could argue the Chiefs and the Packers have been great at times, but they’ve also missed a beat or two. And of the three undefeated teams (Seattle, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee) there are some glaring holes in each of these squads. Seattle’s D/ST is averaging only 1.8 FPPG which is ranked a measly 22nd. The Steelers’ issue is with the star of the show. They’ve got a great supporting cast, but the guy in control of the helm totally sucks. Ben Roethlisberger is currently ranked 18th among starting quarterbacks behind guys like this year’s punching bag Carson Wentz and perennial Aunt Sally Ryan Fitzpatrick. Tennessee appears to have all the tools and talent, but they play down to their opponents’ level. Four of their five wins were within a touchdown (3 within 3-points) all to teams with losing records… and because the NFL is stranger than fiction, they also went off on a very good Bills team and won by 26.

It’s never easy to put together the perfect team, but it seems this year it’s particularly difficult. We must recognize that role players can be the difference between mediocre and good, and we can’t give up on a guy who might have had a slow start. Week seven is coming up and whoever is writing this season is getting into their groove. We just need to accept that our favorite show is turning into a fantasy series.