My best friend gave up on football.
After a lifetime of supporting the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs (and Rams when they resided in his hometown of St. Louis) and following his beloved Florida State Seminoles, he had had enough.
College football is big business, and yet the players who are worth millions to the schools aren't paid. Please don't try to tell him their degree is worth millions of dollars.
The NFL has become a gaffe machine in his eyes. How the league has handled concussions, the CTE epidemic and the health care of past players is an embarrassment to him.
He's quick to tell you how out of touch with reality Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL's owners are when it comes to the rules of the game, disciplining players or even supporting players when it comes to their flag protests and their work in the various communities they represent.
Speaking of disciplining players, my wife is trying really hard not to quit the NFL. But it's really hard.
It's clear The League is conflicted on how to deal with domestic violence committed by its players against women, even extending to violence committed against their own children.
I can't say I disagree with my wife or best friend.
If it weren't for fantasy sports, I'd likely be in the same boat.
Has there been a more successful populist movement in the 21st century? Over 60 million people in North America play fantasy sports.
That's a lot of folks who "hacked" into an already established game to create their own. It's a social network, moonlighting as a competitive outlet. Or maybe it's gambling, moonlighting as a social network and just happens to be a competitive outlet.
It's many things to many people, and that's the point. It's ours now.
We're not beholden to our favorite teams anymore. If you don't like the way it's run (or it happens to pack its bags and moves away from you), you can create your own.
The NFL doesn't make sense to you anymore or the commissioner is too inept? Make your own league. Choose a commissioner you can trust.
Of course, I understand all of this still benefits the "real" leagues. I admit I'm having a hard time reconciling the two.
Maybe that's why it's called fantasy.
The Preamble: The foundation of great preparation for your fantasy football season is determining the players you can draft later and yet still reap a solid value (sleepers) and/or the players you shouldn't draft at all (busts).
Being able to discern between the two will make all the difference in establishing a championship DNA for your fantasy squad.
Here are my sleepers and busts for the 2019 fantasy football season:
