Viva Murillo!
By the time you read this, we'll have a new President-elect. And regardless of the Electoral College outcome, the winner will likely be decided by a relatively small number of people who either decided to vote, decided to stay home, or changed their mind about the candidates at the last minute. The biggest, most expensive (and probably the longest) campaign in history will come down to small decisions at the very end.
Sound familiar? Your league champion will likely be decided the same way. Not by voting, of course, although that would be an interesting way to choose a winner (if you could figure out how to break a 12-way tie). It will be decided by small decisions that can overshadow the big ones during the season.
With about five weeks left in most fantasy regular seasons, what you do this week can determine who wins at the end. Not the pre-season preparations, not the cheat sheets, not the drafts and auctions and not the weekly preparations you've made up to this point. They got you where you are (for better or worse) but they're in the past. Heading
forward, it will come down to little things -- accepting or rejecting a trade, picking up someone on the waiver wire or dropping someone you should keep.
You could probably say that about any week, but it's especially important now. Sunday wasn't a good day for quarterbacks, with Matt Schaub and Kyle Orton getting hurt with what could be multiple-week injuries and Derek Anderson probably playing his last game as a starter in Cleveland. And while few people were starting Dan Orlovsky, he was doing a good job getting Calvin Johnson the ball. Now he's also injured.
There's more, of course. Steven Jackson is still hurting, as is his backup Antonio Pittman. Another Pittman -- Michael in Denver -- was thrown on Injured Reserve along with Andre Hall. Witten, Romo, Felix Jones -- the list goes on and on (at least for Dallas). That doesn't even include someone like Larry Johnson simply getting suspended. It will be an interesting week on the waiver wire.
Maybe it's because I'm a political junkie, but it reminds me of the election. Where the candidates make their last stump speeches is critical. Their final rallies are scheduled in places that can make the most impact. Every decision is magnified because the stakes are higher than ever. And this week, the quarterback you pick up could determine whether or not you make the playoffs. The kicker you drop could end up giving someone a victory that puts them into the post-season. These seem like little decisions compared to all the work you've done, but they mean more right now than anything else you've done.
Just as the candidates focused on finishing strong and not letting up for a second, I encourage you to do the same. Many leagues freeze the waiver wire after the first games start, so a Thursday game could change your game plan. Don't forget to tend to your lineup earlier than usual this week. If you have guys that could be game-time decisions, make sure you have options on the roster by the time the first game starts. You might have to make educated guesses after the Thursday practices, so factor that into your waiver decisions as well. Little things like that will cost distracted owners this week. And going forward, in addition to games on unusual days the league's flexible scheduling can change the start times of your players. If you have a day later in the week that you tend to your teams, change it now to accommodate these adjustments.
John and Cindy McCain have a tradition of watching a movie on Election Day as a way to take their minds off the pressure and stress they've endured. But not this year; they're campaigning until the very end. As I'm writing this I don't know if they won or lost, but I do know that fantasy players should make similar changes to their routines. The little things you do now can pay big dividends later.
Youtube Clip of the Week: Check out these people who were trying to avoid long lines by voting early. Ah, Florida! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5hmevJdNxc&feature=related
You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.
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