It’s almost fantasy football time, and to kick off this year I’m starting with a small but fundamental decision: To Buc or not to Buc.
Thing is, this is a new dilemma for me. Over the past few years, there have been very, very few Buccaneers worth drafting. Sure, the defense was always solid, but the team hasn’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut. I remember scouring last year’s mock drafts for a Buc—any Buc—and the top prospect tended to be Earnest Graham in the fourth round followed by Joey Galloway in the eighth or ninth round. Not great. But this year the Bucs have a few potentially decent fantasy prospects, including tight end Kellen Winslow (who may also be the team’s third receiver), wide receiver and last year’s comeback kid Antonio Bryant (who is playing for a long-term contract), and Giants-transplant running back Derrick Ward.
So do I draft one of these guys if the opportunity arises? My head says it could work out, but my heart says be careful when mixing church and state. What to do? Pros and cons list!
If I draft Bucs for my fantasy team…
Pro: When the Bucs win, and my fantasy players play well, I am doubly happy.
Con: When the Bucs lose, and my fantasy players play poorly, I am doubly miserable.
Pro: I can always root for my fantasy Bucs, because they will never play against the real Bucs.
Con: I can take no glimmer of happiness from a bad Bucs loss. (e.g. I can’t believe we lost by 35! But if someone had to score 5 touchdowns, at least it was Adrian Peterson…)
Pro: I will feel like my fantasy team is a loving reflection of my loyalty to the Bucs.
Con: The Bucs will never see my fantasy team, and thus won’t care about said above-and-beyond loyalty. (Except there was that time when Gruden called to thank me for taking Dunn and Garcia off of waivers. Or, oh, wait, that was the manager of the fantasy team I was matched up against.)
Pro: I feel really entitled to call my team something fun like Buc’n Great!
Con: I already have a go-to team name. (It’s Exalted Mediocrity. Which fits, because I usually lose.)
What about you guys? Do you fill your fantasy team with members of your real team? Or do you just pick the best player available? And does the fact that I even have to ask explain my perpetually losing record?
How many of these fancy TDs can we expect from Antonio Bryant this season?
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Dear Bucs Chick,
I Buc’n love that team name! You should use it.
I may be calling on you for advice since I’m joining my first fantasy league this season. I have no Buc’n clue what I’m doing. I don’t even have a favorite NFL team! I could go with the Chiefs since my hubby is from there and former Bama QB is on the team (but how much longer will Brodie “I’m Hurt Again” Croyle last?). I could go with the Titans since they are only an hour and a half away. I could go with the Vikings if Favre decides to unretire again.
Anyway, just wanted to stop by and say Hey! I’ll be back to do some reconnaissance later.
Hiya, Tiffani. Thanks for stopping by!
You know I’m going to tell you to become a Bucs fan, but logistically it probably makes sense to root for the home team. (So you don’t need to invest in a satellite package or head to a sports bar every Sunday.) And the Titans are very good, so that is extra incentive.
As for fantasy tips, I will say that the winner of my league 2 years running uses the autopick draft and almost never makes adjustments to her team, whereas I spend hours weighing pros and cons of each player every week and tend to lose anyway. So I’m not sure that I have the winning formula…