PALLISTER: In family and fantasy football, there’s plenty to be thankful for

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Twenty-three years ago, my brother decided to start a fantasy football league. He apparently could only find eight other like-minded individuals, so he asked his 19-year-old, football-obsessed little brother if he would like to play.

For that, I am thankful.

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I am thankful for Mark Rypien, whose out-of-nowhere 29 TDs offset the drafting of Derrick Fenner and Blair Thomas and propelled me to a fantasy championship that first season and solidified my love affair with all things NFL.

I am thankful for John Elway, who made me look like a genius and led me to my second fantasy title in three seasons after trading for him (straight up for Alvin Harper) early in what turned out to be his first and only 4,000-yard season (during which he threw a then-career-high 25 TDs after combining for 23 the previous two seasons).

I am thankful my aforementioned brother took Emmitt Smith with the top pick in a 1996 redraft, allowing me to take Brett Favre No. 2. Smith got hurt that season and was never again the fantasy force he had been, while Favre threw 105 TDs in a three-year span and led me to two more fantasy titles.

I am thankful for blood-pressure medicine, which was a tremendous help in getting me through a 10-year fantasy (and reality, if truth be told) drought. At one point I drafted Koren Robinson in the third round. It was a bad time.

I am thankful I decided to start DeAngelo Williams on a whim when I finally got back to a championship game after a decade in the fantasy wilderness. He had the game of his life — TD runs of 1, 5, 13 and 30 yards — and I had my fifth title.

I am thankful for the wild ride fantasy football has taken me on for almost a quarter-century. The games have allowed me to stay connected, through all of life’s ups and downs, to my first love.

And speaking of love, while football and fantasy have been important parts of my life, I am now a husband and father of two. I still have my moments, but being a family man has changed me. It puts the games in perspective. So when I sit down to watch Thursday’s action, I will cheer, I will yell and I will try not to swear. But the outcomes — in real life and fantasy — ultimately don’t matter. When the turkey and sides are all put away and the kids are sleeping soundly, I will turn to my wife and inevitably talk about fantasy football. And she will let me. That’s love.

For that, and for them, I am thankful.

Week 12 Lineup Crime: Thankfully, starting Jay Cutler over Philip Rivers in a game I had to win ended up not costing me. Otherwise, I made all the right moves.

Week 13 Lineup Time: Matthew Stafford has been a fantasy disappointment this season, but his matchup against the Bears has big game written all over it. … The Dallas defense is a great spot start against Mark Sanchez, who remains prone to turnovers. … The 49ers play the Seahawks better at home, but Colin Kaepernick and his receivers aren’t worth starting. … With Ryan Fitzpatrick back at quarterback for the Texans, I like DeAndre Hopkins as a flex play against the Titans. … The Rams defense/special teams will have its way with the Raiders at home. … No one has been more up and down this season than Michael Floyd, but the Cardinals face the Falcons. He’s worth a look.