You can hear the excuses building across the country: Carson Wentz got hurt. Alvin Kamara sustained a concussion. Rob Gronkowski got suspended. I lost because of a freak injury to a key player. I didn't make the playoffs because Aaron Rodgers got hurt, which made Jordy Nelson almost useless. Tom Brady played more like Tom Savage in week 14.

Now, all those things have a little truth to them. But they aren't the reason you lost. And if you still have games to play, they aren't valid excuses if you lose in the next couple of weeks. It's time to move past it and prepare for this weekend.

I'm not saying it will be easy. But I guarantee it's easier for you than it is for the actual NFL teams. How do you think the Eagles feel right now? Do you think Philadelphia fans are going to give the team a pass because Nick Foles is back under center? Not likely. So you're not getting one, either.

Sometimes we attribute success or failure to just one player. In the real game, that's possible. The Packers need overtime to beat a winless team without Aaron Rodgers, but are considered playoff contenders now that he's been cleared to return. You see what happened to the Texans without Deshaun Watson. Whatever chance the Cardinals had to make the playoffs went down with David Johnson. And many other teams would go from contenders to malcontents if just one guy gets hurt.

But it's not like that in fantasy football. In one of my leagues, the David Johnson owner made the playoffs easily. He didn't even pick up Kamara, but he could have. He wasn't drafted. But that owner still found players to fill the gap, and made up the points with his other selections. And if you suffered a tough injury recently, you need to do the exact same thing.

Don't get me wrong. There isn't a savior waiting to be plucked from obscurity. But there are guys available who can score some points, and you have your bench, too. You have options, but you don't have excuses.

Your opponent probably had to deal with their own injuries this year. They found a way to be in this position. They earned the right to be here, too. Nobody cares who they dropped or picked up, and nobody cares what lineup mistakes you made this season. It's just the next game in front of them, and either you'll win or they'll win. So don't get down about who isn't available. Get to work, and find a way to win.

In the NFL, there's a "next man up" mentality, and the next man usually falls on his face. But remember, those guys are NFL backups. Your backups (and your waiver wire options) are actually NFL starters. Your bench is made up of starters. And now, they're going to have to produce. But the important thing is that you move on mentally from what you don't have, and focus on what you do have. You'll have time to lament an untimely injury or how the court system dealt with Elliott's suspension later. You can blame Tom Brady over the holidays for putting you in a bad position, or put some coal in Rob Gronkowski's stocking for getting suspended. If you still have a game to play, none of that matters now. Dwelling on it isn't productive. Look at your options, pick the best one and move forward.

Oh and if you were eliminated after an injury or bad performance, don't bash the player or Lady Luck. I'm sure you can look at your starters and find other guys who didn't meet expectations. There might have been bad lineup choices. Or maybe your opponent started Antonio Brown in a PPR league and shattered your team on Sunday night. Whatever happened, it was a collection of circumstances. Don't blame Kamara, who wasn't even on your August cheat sheet. Don't blame the Zach Ertz injury, when you didn't expect stellar production when you chose him. You shouldn't even blame Brett Hundley, since nobody outside of that team's management had much confidence in him.

It was that, plus some bad draft choices, missed gems on the waiver wire and poor lineup decisions. The truth is, it was you. It was me, too. I'd love to blame Kelvin Benjamin and Chris Thompson for missing the playoffs in one league. But really, it's my fault. I didn't even start Thompson at the beginning of the year. I didn't have good receiving options behind Benjamin. And it wasn't my best draft, to be honest. I'm the reason I didn't make the playoffs.

I also had Thompson in another league. I never found a good replacement for him but I made the playoffs anyway. And if I lose, it's my fault. No excuses. But I'm not dwelling on that now. I have work to do, and I'm going to roll with the best players I have. Hey, I might even win. And if you have a game coming up, I hope you do, too. Good luck this weekend.

Did injuries play a role in your stumbles this season? Did you overcome them to make the playoffs anyway? Share your stories below.