Weekly Bender: Real Champions Don't Take the Holidays Off

Mon Nov 25 6:37pm ET
By HOWARD BENDER
Fantasy Writer

While most fantasy football articles that publish around this time are loaded with sentiment and ask you which players you are most thankful for having on your roster, this week’s Weekly Bender is all about winning your championship and stepping on your opponents’ throats to make that happen. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily talk about stuffing my fat face until my blood flow is replaced by a river of gravy, but we’re in the middle of one of the craziest fantasy football seasons in years, so there’s no rest for the weary. If you want to talk about the pros and cons of a green bean casserole, turn the page. If you want to win your league’s championship, just keep reading.

For starters, your fantasy football waiver wire work for NFL Week 13 starts now. It shouldn’t be too complex with no teams on a bye this week, but that doesn’t mean you let it fall to the wayside. I’ve seen far too many people ignore their waiver wire heading into Thanksgiving because they’re too busy setting up plans to go drinking with old friends on Wednesday night than they are with stockpiling their roster. Do NOT make this mistake.

If you’re traveling this week, start scouring your waiver wire right now. Set up your claims with contingency picks and make sure you have it all set up now before you leave. You don’t want to take any chances. David Montgomery suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday and is in danger of missing the next game with the short week. Brian Robinson left Week 12 with an ankle injury and Austin Ekeler endured another concussion. Both could miss time this week. Hopefully, you have enough depth on your roster, but if you’re not putting in claims for Jeremy McNichols or Chris Rodriguez, you’re making a mistake. You should also take a look at Ameer Abdullah with no guarantee that either Alexander Mattison or Zamir White return.

Cedric Tillman suffered a concussion on Thursday night and Romeo Doubs left Sunday with one of his own. We saw Josh Downs leave with a shoulder injury and there’s no guarantee DeVonta Smith is past his hamstring issue either. Missing out on waivers this week could spell doom and gloom for your fantasy playoff chances.

There are even potential quarterback issues stemming from this past week. Gardner Minshew broke his collarbone and is out for the season, but while you might want to add Desmond Ridder in a superflex league, there’s also a rumor that Aidan O’Connell could be activated from IR ahead of this week’s games. The Giants could start Drew Lock this week with Tommy DeVito banged up and we’re still sitting for confirmation on whether the Jaguars will use Trevor Lawrence or Mac Jones this week.

With all of this going on right now and with a short week – three games on Thursday, one on Friday – you need to make sure your prep work for this week is done and done early. Make sure your injured players are properly backed up, make sure your starting lineups are fully set before Thursday morning and make sure you have your Sunday or Monday players in your flex spot to ensure proper roster flexibility. Do it now before you get distracted with holiday planning and the rest of your work week.

Now, for those of you who aren’t dealing with injuries this week and are feeling good about your starting lineups for Week 13, you should be using this time to prepare your roster for Week 14, or as the masses put it, Byemageddon II. We have another six teams on bye in Week 14 and if you thought this past week was tough with so many guys unavailable, just wait until you’re questioning start/sits for the final fantasy regular season game or the first round of your playoffs. If you’re smart, you’ll start preparing for that right now.

My suggestion to all of you who are eyeballing the fantasy playoffs, set your Week 13 starting lineups right now. Obviously, if you’re dealing with injuries, you may have one or two roster spots up in the air, but if you aren’t, make your decisions right now and then see about building your bench properly for Week 14. All too often, I see people with dead weight sitting on their bench. Whether it’s a guy like Mason Tipton or Demario Douglas, if they’re never ever going to crack your starting lineup, then why carry them? Swap them out with someone you are likely to start in Week 14. Don’t just carry them on your team because you’re hoping they have a great week. Like my granddaddy always used to say, “You can hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which fills up first.”

On the other side of that, don’t drop a player you aren’t using this week if you think they’ll be good for you during Byemageddon II. There’s nothing wrong with turning over bench players if there is a specific reason for it. If you need someone because you don’t know if your questionable tight end is going to play, then great, but if you’re adding a guy like Tommy Tremble when you already have Trey McBride, you’re doing it wrong.

If you have spots on your bench with players who will never crack your lineup, then get guys who are in great spots for Week 14 when you need it. Nick Westbrook-Ihkine faces the Jaguars in Week 14. That’s a tasty match-up. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is facing the Giants in Week 14. If he really is the new Rashid Shaheed, then perhaps he’s your Week 14 Byemageddon II flex play. It’s about being prepared and not resting on your laurels because it’s the holidays and you don’t have bye week issues this week.

It’s very easy to fall victim to the holidays. Everyone is excited about getting together with friends and family and everyone is excited about eating great food. But neither the NFL nor the fantasy season pauses for the holidays and neither should you. Keep your focus for the next two weeks and come the New Year, you’re the one hoisting the trophy. If your friends and family don’t understand your commitment, then don’t buy them anything with your winnings!

Bender out!

Weekly Bender: Real Champions Don't Take the Holidays Off

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