The Fantasy Football Levels of Losing

Anyone can say "I would have won 'if'" at the end of their given season. Sure, anyone can say that if they had done this, if they had done that, if something went my way then i would have won. But there is a different kind of stomach-punch type loss that happened this season for me. Not once, not twice, but in three separate leagues. There's losing, and then there's LOSING. This is my story.

League 1

This team started the season 0-4, so really, my team hadn't played a meaningless game since WEEK 4. Starting in Week 5, I won by .2 points, a win that I needed to make the playoffs. I survived by the skin of my teeth, my team did everything it needed to do, I spent my season agonizing over every move that would put me in position to make the playoffs and go on a run, and I finished the season with more points than anyone in the league. It came down to the last possible week for me to even make it in, as I finished off a win or go home game for both teams with a convincing victory that vaulted me to the 3 seed. The talent was there, better than everyone in the league outside MAYBE the one seed, but I did outscore him. And then, after all of that, My All-Pro, capable of scoring 40 any given week, dominating, first round pick, MVP candidate quarterback gets hurt and I am bounced, just like that. Aaron Rodgers had dragged this team kicking and screaming past every possible foe, and then, it was over. Just... like... that. I hung on ever second of every game for this team every Sunday, and I had such faith that this team was talented enough to win this league. Then that happened. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than a team that just goes 4-9 and misses the playoffs. This team had it and lost because of a stupid injury. It only makes it worse that I outscored both teams in the Semi's while I was stuck in the 5th place game, then outscored both teams in the finals while I didn't have a match. I win that one game, and this team wins. That's a stomach punch of epic proportions.


League 2

Now I wouldn't be doing this if that was even close to my only fantasy crushing loss this season. I was knocked out in the Playoffs of another league in which I had a 40 point lead, which I watched turn into a 30 point deficit, in horror, along with every Giants fan, as Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin single handedly ended my season with the greatest 8 minutes in fantasy history, costing me another money league finals trip. Nothing like a 70 point swing in 8 football minutes right?


League 3

But all of that pales in comparison to what happened to me Friday morning. Remember that Rashard Mendenhall stat correction? You know how you hear those nightmare stories of how something like that could cost someone a win? Well, bingo. Had won the matchup, was in the finals, the match had already started on Thursday night! I wake up Friday morning, sure enough, I have had 1.1 points removed (bonus 1 point at 100 yards, the yard was removed to drop his total from 100 to 99) and I saw myself in the third place game. After my championship match had already started. How's that for a "just my luck" situation.

Oh yeah, I would have won the Championship matchup.

So, please excuse me for hating fantasy football right now. I had four excellent teams this year, and three of them met their ends under extreme, gut-wrenching circumstances. I know I care too much about this, its way more than about money, its way more about how attached I get to building these teams from long before the draft until the final day of the season. I just hate losing three great teams under these circumstances. I don't even care if anyone reads this, I did it for me.