Tag Archives: fantasy football

Seahawks Marshawn Lynch Arrested for DUI in Oakland

First off, no, we don’t know what his exact BAC was, other than it was over the legal limit of .08%. (And likely not enought to qualify him for the World Famous BadJocks BAC Rankings.) How much over could impact what Lynch is charged with and the punishment handed down by the team and/or the league. Lynch, who played high school football in Oakland and is college ball at Cal was arrested Saturday after a traffic stop on Interstate 880 and appears to have been cooperative with officers, even submitting to a blood test. (Sorry, no tasering here fellas, move on.)

Like Dez Bryant, this is also not Lynch’s first run in with the law. He had his license was revoked in 2008 after pleading guilty to “failing to exercise due care toward a pedestrian.” Translation? Lynch apparently didn’t realize he ran into a woman outside a Buffalo bar at 3:30 a.m. Oh, and Lynch was also suspended for three games in 2009 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge.

Fantasy Football Impact:  In most fantasy football drafts, Lynch is considered a Top Ten pick at RB after a monster year in 2011. If he misses even a few games that could really hurt his value, as well as put more pressure on new QB Matt Flynn to produce in the air without him. Given what Flynn was able to do in the last game of the season against the Lions, that might not be a bad thing and could shift the pass/run balance of the Seahawks attack for the long haul. The real question is which of Lynch’s backups would get the lion’s share of the workload if he’s benched. Most likely right now is unheralded Robert Turbin from Utah State, but there does not appear to be a clear replacement on the squad.

Source: Mercury News

Cowboys Dez Bryant Arrested on “Family Violence Charge”

What is a “family violence charge?” Sounds like he allegedly assaulted a female member of his family (mom, sister, niece) who Bryant’s not married to, otherwise it would be domestic violence or something. Anyway, the real question is: what impact will this have on your fantasy football team?

First thing: unlike the Adrian Peterson incident last week in Houston, this is NOT Bryant’s first run in with the law or similar incident. In just the last year the Cowboys #1 draft pick in 2010 got into an altercation with rapper Lil’ Wayne (but not arrested) was temporarily banned from a mall for arguing with security officers about his saggy pants, and was sued by a jeweler who claimed Bryant owed $850,000 for unpaid merchandise. No, that really doesn’t add up to jail time, but it does show a pattern of off-field issues that eventually could get him banned by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for a game or two.

Right now, Bryant is projected as a 15th best fantasy WR by ESPN and the #1 receiver for Dallas. If he misses some games that would help Dallas’ #2 receiver, Miles Austin. As far as impacting Tony Romo . . . Romo will still have weapons to throw to even if Bryant is out of the game, and will likely choke in clutch moments regardless. If Bryant gets a more severe penalty–or goes to jail–it could also benefit TE Jason Witten, already one of the top players at his position.

Off field distractions are never good for players or teams and Bryant seems to be collecting them like Beanie Babies.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Does #FantasyFootball Makes Us Better or Worse Fans?

Fantasy football is everywhere these days. Heck, I’m even playing in a league for the first time this season.

ESPN has a full 90 minute show Sunday mornings devoted to it. There are millions of websites with billions of bits of information about every possible player, their stats, projected potential points this week and any hint of an injury that could impact a guy’s numbers. There’s even a very funny sit-com on Fox about the antics of a bunch of high school friends (now adults) who play in a fantasy league together and it’s aptly called “The League.”

On the plus side, playing fantasy football does make you pay attention to teams and games you might otherwise not care about. It’s broadened the game, so to speak, making every little play of every game have some meaning. And that might be a good thing.  All this interest in every little detail has probably been good for the NFL, team’s pocketbooks, and even ticket brokers as fans want to become involved in teams other than those in their own backyard or whose games are only broadcast by local stations.

But in the end, does it make us better or worse fans? Are we really rooting FOR teams and players anymore, or just the stats they generate? If the team wins but “your player” sucks, how do you feel? Kind of a mixed feeling, isn’t it? Are there times when you are actually rooting against a rival’s player and secretly smiling when he’s out for the season? Does that make you a “better fan?”  When you saw Jamal Charles of the Chiefs go down with an knee injury was your first thought “I hope he’s okay” or “Who can I grab off the waiver wire to possibly replace and the point he earns for me?” Sounds more like someone with an addiction problem than a fan.

At the very least, has it given you an appreciation for the decisions that owners and coaches face each day? What? You’re now starting to think like a money-grubbing owner? Oh no!

Seriously: in the end the NFL will be fine and will continue to be the “sports cash machine” it has always been, despite the phenomenal growth of fantasy football.  It’s the fans who are changing and could suffer from the impact of FF.

Excuse me, but I gotta go now and set my line-up for Sunday. Should I start Schaub or Grossman?