They say it ain't over 'till it's over. In poker, all you need is a chip and a chair. When told the odds of getting the girl were a million to one, Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber said "So you're tellin' me there's a chance!"

Well, for many fantasy teams there's no chance. There are no chips and you don't have a chair. And all due respect to Yogi Berra, but it's over. You're not going to the playoffs. Just don't think that means you're done playing for the year.

Look, it happens to (almost) everybody. I still have a couple of teams chasing a playoff spot. But a third team bowed out this past weekend. The villain was math: I'm too many games back and there aren't enough weeks to make up the difference. There are a few teams that are still alive in that league, but mine isn't one of them.

The "why" doesn't matter, of course. The draft wasn't great, my luck wasn't great and the schedule didn't always work in my favor. But none of that matters. We all play by the same rules, and others will have a better outcome. So that's that, right?

Well, not quite. There are still a couple games left on the schedule, and I plan to make the most of them. It turns out that I have two upcoming opponents that need wins pretty badly. The best thing they could see is a team that's given up and is ready to roll over and hand out an easy win.

Unfortunately for them, that's not my team. My new motto is "Misery loves company," and I plan to inflict as much misery as possible. In fact, I can pretty much dictate the playoff participants by knocking out a couple of stragglers. That's a lot of power for a team that's already been eliminated.

I waited several months for a chance to play again, so I'm not going to forfeit the last couple weeks. And you shouldn't either. Never mind that you have an obligation to the league to play out the schedule and field a competitive team. Forget the fact that the playoff teams should earn their way into them, not walk over an incomplete lineup.

No, there's more to it than that. Do it for the fun. The trash talk. The bragging rights (when you knock out a buddy they have to hear about it all summer long). The fun of winning. It's all there for you. All you have to do is keep playing.

Every year, two-thirds of your league's teams miss the playoffs, and fewer than 10 percent end the season happy. Should all of those other owners feel frustrated and upset? Or should they compete and have a good time until the very last game is played? Which sounds more fun to you?

I know what it's like to second-guess a silly draft decision (like bypassing JuJu Smith-Schuster) or lament a bad beat (like your defense going negative to turn a win into a loss). Those things happened. But there are dozens of moments like that every year, just like there are crazy twists and turns that netted you victories at some point as well. I'm not saying it all evens out, but I am saying it's not worth stressing over. Good things happen and bad things happen every season. If you had too much of the latter, you'll be congratulating someone else at the end of the year. That's part of the game.

But the schedule is also part of the game, and if you have a couple of games left, I encourage you to make the most of them. Finish the year with some victories and maybe knock some teams out of the playoffs. And if you do, make sure they hear about it up until draft day. Good luck this week.

Do you take the spoiler role seriously? Have you ever knocked out a buddy out of contention? Do your league's eliminated teams stay active? Share your stories below.