The life, trials and tribulations of a fantasy GM!

By Eric Berry

When you’re as deeply involved in fantasy football as I am, and you make as many waiver moves and trades as I do, then you’re bound to make a major screw up. Such a thing happened in my #1 fantasy league a couple weeks ago. You see, I went with my heart instead of my head. Hey, Romeo did it to, and see where it got him?

As everyone knows I am a Minnesota Vikings fan. We do stupid things. Hey, we believe the Vikings will win a Super Bowl. Stupid all the way around. In my infinite wisdom (which no one believes) I decided to trade Kareem Hunt for Dalvin Cook straight up. My belief was that Cook was getting healthy and Hunt was not going to get enough carries in the Andy Reid offense. Since I made the gargantuan error, Hunt has been on a tear that we have seen only a few times in football history. About 12 TD’s scored in two weeks-at least it feels that way. Meantime, Dalvin, oh precious little hamstring of Dalvin, refuses to heal, or “heel” to my telepathic pressure and get back on the field. I had to turn off last night’s Chief’s game. I love football. Couldn’t watch. Couldn’t sleep either. Pathetic move to make that trade. Might as well give up.

Wait, what, give up? Not in my DNA. I picked up Latavius Murray who did well for me this week. I will pull a Gloria Gaynor on this one, I will survive. I broke the cardinal rules, however, when making trades in fantasy football. First rule is this: Never make a trade that doesn’t help the overall scope of your roster. Trading a running back for a running back straight up doesn’t typically do that. Second rule is this: Never, ever make a trade from the heart. I watch the Vikings religiously and wanted to watch Cook play and do well concurrently with my fantasy team. UGH.

There’s nothing I can do about that faux paus. Or many others I probably made. So far this year I’ve traded Antonio Brown, Michael Thomas, and Kareem Hunt off my roster. Somehow, I am still within striking distance of the top contenders. Oh, by the way, I traded for Leonard Fournette earlier too. I literally could still have Thomas and Hunt on my roster to go with the rest of my team-which is loaded by the way, in my opinion.

I hope my trades which have created chills (not the good kind), restlessness and anxiety will be suppressed from my memory. However, I can’t help but think that the only thing that will erase the memories of such foolishness from my mind is next year’s draft or about 20 years elapsing.

I will not go to church and pray for injury to my opponent’s players, at least I don’t think I will right now. This fantasy business is a dog eat dog world. I will comb the waiver wire, I will survive!