Fantasy football draws a fine line between cheering for your favorite National Football League team or your personalized fantasy team consisting of selected players on numerous NFL teams.
For the Wisconsin faithful, it is safe to assume the Green Bay Packers are the favorite of the majority, despite their current struggles. Before I say any more, I am a die-hard Packers fan like the rest of you.
Just this past week, I started Dallas wide receiver Miles Austin on my fantasy team who played against the Packers.
The Packers did indeed win, and Austin had a terrible game. This game was not beneficial to both parties as I got shafted by Austin’s lackluster performance.
This is one of the most ethically-boggling dilemmas a fantasy football competitor can face.
Above all, a real, NFL favorite team trumps your “fantasy” fantasy team.
The Super Bowl draws a bigger crowd than your “important” Fantasy Bowl if you make it.
Another debacle arises when your fantasy squad is up against a Packers player. This is easy. Cheer against a Packers player.
You root for the team, not the player. By all means, shout at the television, “Run the ball,” “Throw it away from Driver!” or “Don’t have a career day!” against a certain player.
You can chant these out loud or think them in your head as subtle psychological ploys against the player. If you are with a bunch of friends, I’d keep quiet. But if you are with your significant other, who could care less about your irrelevant fake-fantasy world; scream to the mountain tops.
For the first Minnesota Vikings/Packers showdown, I was up by about 40 fantasy points before the Monday night game, and my opponent started Aaron Rodgers against me.
Most definitely I cheered against Rodgers. I wanted him to win the game by not having a great fantasy performance. I would have loved to have seen Rodgers have a ridiculously-awesome Monday night game in order to beat Brett Favre and the Vikings.
Statistically he did, in fact, have a good night, but not good enough to beat me. I had to watch the game indifferently and cheer quietly against him as to not get beat up by my friends.
This game had extenuating circumstances because of the whole Favre hoopla, and I would have gladly traded a fantasy loss for a Packers win.
Bottom line – I render it as “OK” to cheer against an individual Packers player for the benefit of your fantasy team. After all it is not an individual sport, it is a team sport.
The most mutually-satisfying situation, when a Packers player is playing against your fantasy line up, would occur if that player did not put up huge numbers, obviously. Coupled with that statistical letdown, the Packers would have to win the game.
Last season I had Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on my fantasy team.
I had two opportunities to see Peterson run all over the Packers. I wanted him to run it down the throat of the defense as the elusive and violent runner that he is.
The same principle applies here as before. Peterson could go for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a contest, but as long as the Packers win, it’s a win-win situation.
The team aspect of fantasy football is the reason that it is not unethical. The concept is a squad of players you drafted before the season started and making the best starting line up each week to beat your opponent.
You manage your team, and you best stand by your team.
My strategy on draft day is to not draft any Packers player. That way I don’t have to worry about any crappy games by the Packers, like a 38-28 loss to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, and coincidentally, my Packers fantasy player.
For once I really wanted a Packer this year, Rodgers, but someone took him early in the second round of the draft so I ended up with Peyton Manning. Sometimes things just work out.
If you have to cheer against Packers players during your season, start the insanity. Just remember the context of where you are doing it.
You play to win in fantasy football.
Cheer for the Packers as a team, cheer against individual Packers and get some “fantasy footballs” to roll with it.
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