Grantland Fantasy Preview

I’ve often wondered, why do millions of people play fantasy football?

More specifically, why do 30 million people partake in this phenomenon that has become just as- if not more- important as the NFL itself?

When you think about it, devoting hours of research or handing over a Benjamin can help you, yes; but really, once the ball is kicked off of the tee (teams still use a tee, right?) everything changes.

It’s a common concept, on some levels. People prepare so much- or so little, in some cases- for something that is out of their hands.

Oh, you forgot to start a TE? Tough luck.

Matt Ryan has a bye this week, “(insert expletive).”

When that game starts, you can’t pick up your phone and hypothetically throw Beanie Wells on the bench and replace him with Isaac Redman.

No, once the game has commenced, you do something that every GM, coach, trainer, beer salesman and fan do every Sunday. You watch and hope.

To fans, that’s what football is about. Watching and hoping that things turn out the way you wanted them to.

Even if you didn’t start a TE.

My top 5 players (and a sleeper) for 2012:

1)   Aaron Rodgers- Who is Brett Favre anyway? Last year, Rodgers averaged 25.7 points per week and threw for over 250 yards and two TD’s in all but two games. The dude never has a bad outing. Not to mention that Rodgers and Mike McCarthy were bullied- by the football Gods’, I’m assuming- into handing the ball off to James Starks and the one-legged Ryan Grant. Seasoned vet Cedric Benson should be a much-needed upgrade. Don’t be surprised if Mr. Discount Double-Check eclipses the 400-point mark.

2)   Ray Rice- It’s hard to turn down a guy who is a yards-from-scrimmage fiend. Besides the fact that he’s exceeded 2,000 all-purpose yards in two of the last three years, Rice has been arguably the most durable back in the league- not missing a game in the last three seasons. Want more? Rice has averaged 72 catches in the last three years- tops for running backs. All of this without mentioning that he has successfully kept Joe Flacco’s unibrow away from media scrutiny and somehow diverted the attention to recent #1 NBA draftee, Anthony Davis.

3)   Calvin Johnson- Have we established that he is head and shoulders above all other wideouts yet? Good. Have we realized that we may not ever see some of the catches that he makes ever again? Great. Have we come to a conclusion that he can’t be a human being? Very possible.  What more do you need?

4)   Arian Foster- Every time I watch Texan games, I think to myself, “Arian Foster has 140 yards and 2 TD’s?!” He’s the NFL’s version of Kevin Durant. He’s good at almost everything and he’s always going to get his; but he does it so quietly. Matt Schaub has turned into a watered-down robot, hardly grasping the title of “game-manager” and Andre Johnson has dealt with some nagging injuries over the last few years. Foster is such a threat out of the backfield; evident by his 53 catches in 12 games. He’s a stud, if you haven’t noticed.

5)   Tom Brady- You know what’s crazy? How cool Tom Brady is. Well, that’s true. However, what I meant to say was that last year, Brady outdid his best season yardage-wise by over 400 yards and still finished 400 more behind Drew Brees. This guy is so darn’ consistent. Why yes, it helps to have two matchup nightmares at TE, a scrappy Oklahoman who catches passes that aren’t even thrown to him and a drill sergeant, who happens to be the most personable coach in the NFL (kidding). But someone has to orchestrate the magic that the Pats aim to display. Enter the coolest guy ever. Woops, did I say that again?

Sleeper- Ryan Broyles- I thought it was the perfect draft selection. Draft a guy who is an outstanding route runner with tremendous hands who can emerge as a security blanket for Matthew Stafford. He did some of everything  (and did it unbelievably) at OU, something that will help him get on the field very quickly. We all know that Megatron will take the top off of the defense until Roger Goodell creates a rule that will stop him. But in the Lions up-tempo, pass heavy scheme, Broyles could end up as the third- or even second- guy in Detroit.