When you go back and think about it, it's embarrassing.
I don't know about you, but there are a few teams in my life about which I get incredibly passionate.
I think many in this state would put Ohio State in that realm which explains the Columbus Dispatch's need to put football on the front of its paper every Sunday in the fall.
We all have our teams, and at times, our emotions get the best of us.
In the newsroom last week, one of my co-workers, I won't use names to protect the guilty, found himself getting incredibly angry watching his team give up a game in extra innings, courtesy of an error.
For the rest of the night, we heard him grumble and gripe about how his team had blown it and they were subsequently going to get swept out of the playoffs.
Turns out, he was right. Two games later, the sweep was complete and the offseason was upon his second-favorite team.
Fast forward five days later and there I was in the same boat, except this time I was the captain and my ship was at home. Since my daughter hadn't been feeling well and my wife had military exercises in the morning, they headed to bed early.
Meanwhile, back in the nearby living room, I was watching my beloved Tigers cream the hated Yankees and was getting excited as they reached the ninth inning and their closer Jose "Velveeta" Valverde was coming on with a 4-0 lead to protect.
Two home runs later, Velveeta had completed his melt down and the Yankees were on the verge of dipping their chips in the victory bowl.
All the while, I'm looking at my screen wanting to throw something, wanting to scream and cuss and yell. But alas, no.
Instead, I cleaned. I cleaned so much in the living room and dining room that my wife noticed at 4 a.m. when she got up to head off to the Air Force Base. I needed to find an outlet for my yelling, screaming and general angst and the house got the brunt of it.
It can be so frustrating when the team you love and cheer for has the odds going against it and there's nothing you can do about it.
It's amazing I love fantasy sports so much, because it doesn't treat you any differently.
It doesn't matter how primo the matchup is for your star running back or elite quarterback if they get injured, or the team doesn't utilize them like you expected. Or you leaving that underperforming back (see Shonn Greene) on your bench and suddenly he decides for one week to show that potential you've been burned in previous weeks waiting to see show up.
I despise the line: It's just a game.
While at the core, the phrase is correct, it's so much more than that to competitors and diehard fans.
It's a source of happiness. It shouldn't be THE source of happiness in your life, but it sure can be a nice supplement when you win, whether it's your favorite real life team or your fake fantasy team. Winning brings joy. And doesn't need a little more joy.
I'll be honest, a little more joy will come in my life if I see a little less Valverde and a little more someone else.
Owners will be seeing a little less of DeMarco Murray in the coming weeks which should send his owners to the waiver wire for the perennially over-hyped Felix Jones. I mentioned Greene earlier. Consider Jones his predecessor. It was supposed to be Jones jump to take over by himself when Marion Barber left the picture last year and yet, it didn't happen. Much later, it was Murray that took the spot Jones had by actually performing.
I won't be caught again with Jones. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, well, then I'm just dumb. Starting running backs are hard to come by and it's hard to say how long Murray will truly be out, but I'm letting another owner take that on. Let it be their headache. I'm more likely to pick up Phillip Tanner, who rushed for 31 yards in nine carries in last week's Dallas game, and roll the dice with him. Jones gets hurt a lot and if Murray is out for any length of time, Tanner could easily grab those reigns.
In a keeper league, I really like Daryl Richardson, who is essentially moving into a time share with Stephen Jackson. Consider this: While Richardson has half as many points as Jackson at this point, neither has found the end zone, and the baseline numbers for Richardson are better. Jackson is averaging just 3.63 yards per carry (89 for 323) and 7.6 yards a catch (10 for 76). Meanwhile, the rookie is averaging 5.23 yards per carry (47 for 246) and 8.42 yards per catch (7 for 59).
Last week, Jackson had 15 total touches for 80 yards while Richardson had 13 for 99.
While Jackson is only 29, this is his ninth season which is like 63rd season in running back years. Richardson is a good pickup for guys looking future minded and if I were a Jackson owner, I'd be looking for someone to pay for Jackson's previous success in hopes he's off to a slow start. Jackson is still the lead back, but the changing of the guard could be coming sooner than most thought in the preseason.
If you've picked up Kevin Kolb during his recent hot streak, you were likely disappointed to see he was knocked out for the next six weeks with multiple injuries (thanks Cardinals' offensive line). While I wouldn't put my money on John Skelton, I would be looking to see if Christian Ponder is still available in my league. Ponder is currently in the same ballpark as Michael Vick and Philip Rivers as far as fantasy points go which is impressive when you consider that the latter two were considered top 10 fantasy QBs going into the year and Ponder was expected to be one of the worst.
While Ponder has had four interceptions in the last two weeks, he's also thrown for more than 600 yards and four scores. He said he's figured out his mechanical flaw (Can he talk to Valverde?) that was causing his turnovers.
Sounds good right?
Well ponder this: Two of his next four weeks though could be brutal as he faces the Cardinals (week 7) and Seahawks (Week 9) who are second and third in stingiest defenses against fantasy QBs and after his week 11 bye, he has the Bears twice before the end of the season, who are the top of that list.
He's worth a pickup as your backup (which is what Kolb was anyway for you), but at this point, he's like not much more than a spot start.
Lastly, we'll go to the Browns, another team many are passionate about.
The Browns may have seen their first win but they also saw Trent Richardson knocked out of the game with a rib injury. He practiced Wednesday and said he'll play this week. Pick up Montario Hardesty if you like, but if Richardson is healthy, the Browns are only riding one horse in that backfield and it won't be the one from the SEC school in Knoxville.
Aaron Korte is the A-T's fantasy writer. When he's not cleaning his house in quelled anger, he can be reached at .
