Though fantasy football is meant to all be in good fun, there can be a certain level of frustration that comes hand-in-hand during competition with friends, family and coworkers. It is inevitable, because no one likes to lose. To avoid mistakes made from rash decisions lacking insight, you need to exercise a little patience. After all, two early losses will not break your fantasy season.
But here we are, three weeks in, and the gloves are off. A quarter of the fantasy regular season is complete. No more, “It’s going to be OK.” No more, “It’s still too early.” No more Mr. Nice Guy!
Injuries are cropping up left and right, and the time for stashing underperformers under the guise of hope and upside is over. That is not to say you cut bait on a disappointing-but-injured Brandon Marshall, but it is time to make some hard and fast decisions about the guys who just aren’t getting it done.
Remember when Calvin Johnson retired and the fantasy world looked to Golden Tate? When he first arrived in Motown from Seattle, he worked as a solid No. 2 wideout and even stepped up to that No. 1 level when Megatron was hurt. This season, he was supposed to take another step forward as the team’s leading receiver while newly-acquired, No. 2 option Marvin Jones helped alleviate some of the pressure in a support role.
However, if you’ve been tracking the targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns, it is painfully obvious Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford prefers Jones as his primary target. That, in turn, has offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter calling the plays as such. Tate is now locked in as “the other guy” and is barely a WR3 in a 12-team league. If you’re dealing with injuries and roster restrictions, it is time to give Tate the boot.
And he is certainly not alone. All the preseason hype in the world is not going to make Tyler Lockett a better option in Seattle. Time to go. Gary Barnidge has no one to throw him the ball. See ya! Randall Cobb hasn’t been productive in well over a year. Buh-bye. And the only reason people are calling Arizona’s John Brown “Smoke” is because his fantasy value is dissipating into thin air.
The time to get tough with your roster is now. The NFL coaches are doing it — just ask Ryan Mathews — so why shouldn’t you? It is time to get angry and take action. If you continue to hold out hope for these players, then the only person around here not doing their job is you.
Howard Bender is a senior writer at FantasyAlarm.com and the host of “Overtime” on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio each Sunday from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy. For more from Fantasy Alarm, listen weekdays on SiriusXM from 4-6 p.m.