Brady, Moss owners owning leagues

If you’re like me, the most grueling days of the year are those between your fantasy draft and… If you’re like me, the most grueling days of the year are those between your fantasy draft and the start of the NFL season.

During that span, I feel like Chad Johnson on speed, and I can’t find enough deaf ears to tell how good my team is.

Similarly, if your team resembles mine, you can’t get through this season quick enough before another of your preseason “sure things” goes down.

We’re midway through the fantasy season, and it’s been an arduous first half for most. Injuries have spread through the league, leaving virtually no fantasy team at full strength.

So far, in most leagues, it’s anything goes. In my league I’m 3-4 and somehow sitting in fourth place. Nothing has been guaranteed to those who devoted the whole month of August to nothing but mock drafts and Matthew Berry’s blog.

With the influx of injuries, it seems the success of your team may rely on beating your competition to the computer when guys like Ronnie Brown are declared out for the season. Speaking of Brown, I hope my devoted readers – and by devoted readers, I mean my mother, my roommate and my editor – listened to my premature advice a few weeks ago when I said to drop him.

Injuries are a major part of the ambiguous standings around fantasy football, but some of the preseason top picks are just being outperformed.

Who would have thought that Derek Anderson would have more points than Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and 27 other starting quarterbacks in the NFL?

At running back, Shaun Alexander and Willie Parker currently have less total points than Earnest Graham, Kenny Watson and Derrick Ward, who were all undrafted. And at receiver, Marvin Harrison, Lee Evans and Javon Walker are all lagging way behind guys like Kevin Curtis, Kevin Walter and Roddy White.

The only given so far as we transition into the second half of the fantasy season is, if you own Tom Brady, there’s a 137.9 percent (Brady’s QB rating) chance that you’re in first place in your league.

After all, in a standard Yahoo scoring system Brady has 76 more points than anyone else. To put it in perspective, those 76 points are 63 more than Marc Bulger has all year. By the way, did you know Bugler is currently ranked 1,759th in points. Am I the only one who didn’t know there were even that many players in the NFL? And to think I giddily sprinted up to the draft board, thinking I was pulling a fast one in snagging Bulger in the 6th round.

Brady owners have Patriots coach Bill Belichick to thank. Belichick’s been piling on meaningless touchdowns like manicotti and spaghetti at grandma Ferraiolo’s Sunday supper, acting like that kid you know who plays Madden and always goes for it on fourth down. Coincidentally, that same kid is also the one who throws a Hail Mary to Randy Moss on every play. You get the point.

In any case, if you’re the Patriots fan who drafted Brady and Moss, it may be time to start thinking about your playoff future.

The Pats will likely be in the driver’s seat come week 16 and 17 when fantasy championships are played. Belichick’s squad will have the division locked up – the Bills, Jets and Dolphins combined currently have four less wins than the Pats. And if they have a deadbolt on home-field advantage, which is probable as long as they beat Indianapolis, Brady and Moss should be resting.

If you’re lucky enough to be holding the golden-boy ticket, you better hope that Belichick’s pissed-at-the-world attitude translates into trying to become only the second team in the Super Bowl era to go 16-0, or else you may end up being the one who rants about having a huge point total and not winning the title – every league has that guy.

Editor’s note: I’m that guy.

Possible plays this weekend

The six byes this week are Dallas, Atlanta, Arizona, Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City.

If you’re looking for a quarterback, Trent Edwards was named the full-time starter in Buffalo, and plays the Jets this week. Otherwise Jeff Garcia is available in most leagues, and although he might not win you this week’s game, he certainly won’t lose it for you. Garcia has yet to throw an interception this year.

If you need a running back it’s likely the disgruntled Ronnie Brown owner in your league has already grabbed Jessie Chatman, but if they haven’t, Chatman’s the pickup.

As for wide receiver, there’s a good chance Kevin Walter is still on the waiver wire. Week 6 may have been a fluke when he caught 12 balls for 160 yards, but last week he was just doing his job, and it will presumably be his job at least until Andre Johnson comes back in a couple weeks.