It is pretty rare to draft a team in a regular re-draft format, and carry almost the entire lineup throughout the season.  That is, rare if you are an active owner like I am.  I usually churn my roster early and often.  But I have noticed that my best teams are usually the ones that I am not compelled to drop any of my players.  Better draft, less need to shake up the roster.

My best team this year of my 4 redraft leagues still has basically the same roster as it did on draft day.  And the really amazing part is that the team I am speaking of was my first draft of the season, which took place before training camp even opened.  I remember when I finshed the draft, I felt really good about it.  No doubts.  It was rock solid.

But as the preseason unfolded, I remember being less and less in love with this first draft.  By the time the season started I had serious questions.  I had drafted Knowshon Moreno and Pierre Thomas when their stock was at its highest, and neither looked to be in a great spot as the season began.   Miles Austin had not succeeded in securing a starting spot with the Cowboys.  Rashard Mendenhall looked like a mess. 

But lo and behold my team sprang out of the gate at 2-0.  Nate Burleson gave me 20 points in week one.  Julius Jones put forth a good effort.  And my WR depth with Devery Henderson and Garcon looked like it would be sufficient even without a contribution from Miles Austin.  I was confident I was going to be in the mix after week 2.  Then the losses.

Suddenly I found myself in a tragic pattern.  I turned into the the team that everybody has their best week of the season against.  And at week 11, with the second most points in my league, I find myself at 3-7 and clinging to a final playoff seed based on total points. 

I have a 2 point lead on The Fantasy Assassins for that last playoff spot.  This is the last regular season game in that league.  And while I have some pretty good fortune being able to start 3 good running backs for the week (Moreno, Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas) all who seem to be set up very nicely, I am in a quandry with my WR3 spot.  I have Derrick Mason, Miles Austin, or Nate Burleson. 

Now, on any given week up until this point in time I would not sweat this decision much.  These guys have all put up good total numbers for the season.  But they also combined for 7 catches between them last week.  To say I am gun-shy to punch in any of their names would be an understatement.  I have three top 23 receivers to choose from for one roster spot, and I don’t trust any of them.  Ain’t that a kick in the pants?

Well, not as much of a kick in the pants as having the 2nd most points in the league and 3-7.

None of my WRs has a match-up that looks good at all in my opinion.  The best match-up appears to be Burleson against the Vikings.  If you read my column “Commentary From the Edge” you are aware of my feelings toward Burleson after his goose-egg last week.  When he got “Cromartie’d” last week , he put me in this spot of desperation.  Lot’s of “Nate hate.”

But he seems my only option.  Mason against the Colts I don’t care much for.  Austin against the #1 rated team against the pass, now being double covered and stats have fallen off the cliff.  Or Burleson against his former team on the fast turf, in a game the Seahawks figure to fall behind in early.  Do I have any other choice than to roll with this guy?  I just don’t think so.  

It’s like taking a bootie call from the beeyatch that cheated on you.  You don’t want to do it, but man, when it was good it was SOOOOOOO good.  Okay, maybe just once more.  Come on over Burleson.  I’m punching your name in.

At least, that is what I am saying on Friday.  We’ll see how the Burleson magical mystery tour looks to me with Sunday morning coming down.

No matter if your fantasy team is undefeated or still looking for your first win, it is never too early to think about next year. Thesecond half of the NFL season is when you can catch a glimpse of 2010 by watching how young receivers are developing. Every game is a not only a chance for them to gain more experience, they also feed into the decision making process for quarterbacks and coaches.

Here’s a quick list of ten wide receivers that are worthy of tracking as the 2009 season heads into the final eight games of the year. These are the guys that could rise in the rankings during next summer.

1. Michael Crabtree (SF) – The 1.10 pick in the draft ended his ill-advised holdout and while you watch him play now, remember this is a youngster who is playing without the benefit of a training camp. He currently has only spent three weeks generating chemistry with the quarterback. He already had 81 yards on six receptions against the Colts. The question is if he is drafted as a fantasy starter next year or just as receiver depth.

2. Steve Smith (NYG) – The third-year player has already been impressive but that was mostly in early season play. He’s remained a solid contributor but only has one score in the last five weeks. If he can finish the season strong despite the whipping winds in Giants Stadium, he could end up as top 10 next year.

3. Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) – The lanky rookie from Georgia still has not scored a touchdown and only has two games over 30 yards but is worth tracking since he’s already the #1 wide out in Cleveland where significant changes are likely for next year. If the Browns can ever assemble a passing game of any note, it’ll use Massaquoi as the primary receiver.

4. Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – The ex-Tarheel rookie quickly evolved into the slot receiver for the Giants but he’s already making an assault on the starting spot of Mario Manningham. Nicks has already displayed his speed but at 6’1” and 212 he has plenty of size for any role in the offense. Steve Smith and Nicks could develop into a better tandem than Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer and the end of this year will hint how likely that will be.

5. Devin Thomas (WAS) – The second wideout off the board in the 2008 NFL draft has hardly lived up to his billing but the Redskins will be closely evaluating everyone in the organization in preparation of the annual upheaval. These final two months is when Thomas can win a starting job in what will be a new offense next year and likely with a new quarterback.

6. Andre Caldwell (CIN) – The second-year ex-Gator had a forgettable rookie season but already has become the starting slot receiver and had at least two catches in every game this year. He’s had three scores over the last six games and working towards becoming an integral cog in the Bengals passing machine.

7. Sammie Stroughter (TB) – He was just a seventh round pick out of Oregon State this year but Stroughter has made the most of opportunity by claiming the slot role since week one. His impact has been minimal so far but he is the only up-and-comer among receivers for a team that is in stage one of a rebuilding. Josh Freeman has one start and his only touchdown to a wide receiver went to the rookie.

8. Jeremy Maclin (PHI) – The Eagles first round pick has slowly been getting more involved in the offense and already had one big game thanks to the visiting Buccaneers. The Eagles feature one of the most pass-heavy schemes in the league and Maclin’s potential in this offense is almost unlimited.

9. Lance Long (KC) – The undrafted rookie never reached the field last year in Arizona and was picked up by the Chiefs. The last two games saw him replace Bobby Engram as the slot receiver and against the Jaguars he just had eight catches for 74 yards. The scheme will rely far more on the slot than most offenses and Long has a chance to start a career with a rebuilding team.

10. James Jones (GB) – The third-year player has claimed the slot away from the injured Jordy Nelson and will not be giving it back. With three scores over the last four games, Jones is starting to really click with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s making his mark on a team with a productive passing game and already has more touchdowns than Greg Jennings.

The NFL is constantly changing and no position has as much developmental needs as wide receiver. Even if you are not angling for the league trophy this season, no reason why you can’t start working on your championship next year.

Bad beats are as much a part of fantasy football as first-round busts and running back committees. If you haven’t had a bad beat, keep playing; one will find you soon enough.

We’ve all been there. Your sure-fire win evaporates with a garbage-time touchdown from a bye-week plug-in your foe was all but forced to start. Andy Reid opts for a field goal down seven with four minutes to go and no timeouts left—and your opponent has David Akers.

Or maybe you score the second-most points in your league for the third time in four weeks only to lose to the top-scoring team yet again because Antonio Gates can’t make one more freakin’ catch or the Eagles can’t get one more freakin’ sack so you lose by half a freakin’ point.

Um… hypothetically speaking, of course.

I’m sure you feel my pain. So as the realization that live scoring didn’t screw up—now there’s another fun way to lose a game; go to sleep with a W, wake up with an L—sinks in, I’ve taken the liberty of adapting the five stages of grief to better fit those suffering through a bad beat.

1. Denial

The sure sign you’re entering this stage is bellowing “Are you kidding me?” at the action on the television if you’re tracking the action or at your computer screen if you’re following live scoring. You hold out hope that you can squeeze another point out of your roster somewhere, that live scoring has mistakenly given your opponent an undeserved point, that Knowshon Moreno and half the Steelers defense takes ill so that Correll Buckhalter can give you 100 yards and a touchdown on Monday night.

If you’re in multiple leagues, you check all your other teams first and avoid what you know will be bad news. If it’s your only team, you turn off football for the day and find another division. Anything except look at that losing score, mocking you with a meaningless Saints defensive score that can’t even be reviewed because the Panthers are out of timeouts and the play happened before the two minute warning.

2. Anger

You’re angry at your players for underperforming. You’re angry at your opponent for the Secretariat-sized horseshoe they have lodged in their backside. You’re angry at Kris Brown for missing wide left, at Andy Reid for taking the three, at Ted Thompson for surrounding Aaron Rodgers with revolving doors and turnstiles.

You can also be angry with yourself for any roster moves or lineup decisions that might have altered the outcome. Those are the most painful, because at one point they were actually within your control.

This stage is usually accompanied by a great deal of swearing, with the occasional throwing of the remote control, and is best experienced in solitude—especially if there are any young children in the household. Padded walls wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

3. Bargaining

In which you seek a deal with the fantasy football deities, the karma gods, or the religious entity of your choice; agnostics, you can appeal to Roger Goodell, but I don’t like your chances any better.

Personally, I prefer the preemptive strike here—for example, stopping at a kid-run lemonade stand en route to a fantasy draft is a sure-fire winner for wooing karma to your side of the ledger. But at this juncture it’s too late; now you’re left to negotiate with the fates.

The bargaining stage can range from “If you let me pull this one out I’ll never start Matt Hasselbeck over Matt Schaub ever again” to more serious wagers such as “If you knock Brandon Marshall out of this game—nothing serious, just something that keeps him off the field the rest of the way—I’ll stop taking my neighbor’s morning paper on the way to work.”

What the heck, might as well go all the way: “I swear, if you just let Slaton stay in the game at the goal line I’ll never complain about having to watch ‘Dancing With The Stars’ with my wife again.”

Yes, that’s worse than selling your soul—and not even Daniel Webster can pull you back now.

4. Depression

And then, reality sets in.

The unofficial live scoring results go official, and your loss column total increases by one. You can’t gloat at the water cooler—if you’re even up for going in to work at all—or on the message boards, if you feel like venturing onto the innernet. Depending on whether or not you reach this stage before or after noon (somewhere), there may or may not be drinking involved. You actually contemplate never playing fantasy football again.

The key to this stage is getting through it quickly. It shouldn’t be that difficult because let’s face it: it’s a fantasy football game. Put it in perspective with something one of my high school teachers once told me: no matter how big you think your problem is, remember that there are 800 million people in China who just don’t care.

If nothing else that should tell you how long it’s been since I was in high school, seeing as the current population of China is something north of 1.3 billion.

5. Acceptance

It’s still there in the rear-view mirror: the Westbrook slide; Vinnie Testeverde’s phantom touchdown plunge; the Monday night game John Elway called in sick and left your fantasy team high and dry, two points shy of a win. The bad beat will go down on your permanent record.

But with every passing day, bad beats become a little less painful. Today they may feel like a popcorn husk lodged in your gumline; in a few days it’ll be a faded bruise on your elbow. And eventually bad beats go the route of old yearbook photos in that they still induce a cringe but also let you laugh just a little—even at the one of you in second grade after you opted to cut your own hair.

Besides, if you win this week you can still get a wild card spot and a chance to avenge that bad beat. And this time, karma’s on your side.

Lack of patience is one of the hardest things to conquer in fantasy football.  That is especially true in a dynasty league.  Project players can take years to pan out.  And the investment in a roster spot, (even in a large 20 player roster league like I play in) is crucial to future success.

For instance I have spent the last two years waiting for Jerious Norwood to become a start-able player.  Or even a spot-startable player.  The first hit came when Michael Turner was signed by Atlanta.  At that point it was obvious Norwood would be limited, at least until he escaped his contract and was able to hit the open market.  But I held Norwood.  Running backs are horded mercilessly in all leagues.  I remained patient. 

 But now that he is on the verge of potential free agency, he can’t stay on the field due to injuries.  This is a classic case.  With the season half over, Norwood’s window of opportunity is closing fast.  I dumped him on the waiver wire this week when he became the most expendable player on my team.  It seems likely to me now that Norwood won’t command major free agent interest, and will probably settle for a moderate contract doing just what he has been doing.  I’m officially giving up on Norwood.  It is like having a pebble removed from my shoe.  

On the other hand I haven’t even considered dropping Leon Washington.  Leon has already proven his fantasy worth, and one would think his best days might still be ahead of him.  In any case he is not a droppable player in dynasty format, unless rosters are very short.  Leon Washington has earned my patience.

I tried to acquire Mike Thomas on waivers this week but I was a week late.  People finally took notice and he was snatched up well before my pick at 11.  Not really a tragedy for me as right now I am stacked at WR, but I definitely wanted him on my roster.  This is one of those guys that has caught my eye several weeks ago, and I actually grabbed him off waivers in a couple of my re-draft leagues to cover for week 8 byes.  This guy passes the “eyeball” test.  Watch him play.  Ideal size for the slot.  Good hands.  And good with the ball in his hands.  He just looks like a player to me.  Too bad I had so much patience in regard to grabbing him off waivers.  Wow, this blade has two edges.

I traded for Josh Morgan in a multiple player trade.  I essentially gave Lendale White for Morgan in the trade.  Crabtree coming to town and grabbing all the targets was the thing that pushed the Morgan owner over the edge.  He lost patience with Morgan at the exact same time I ran out of patience for White.  That is how trades happen.

Lendale White is in about the same spot as Norwood.  His window is closing fast and the Titans don’t figure to prop it up.  I had no problem making this trade.  All I have to do is wait for Isaac Bruce to be dragged kicking and screaming off the field and my patience will be rewarded. 

Either that or Lendale White revives his career a la’ Cedric Benson, and the 49ers hit the free agent market for another wide receiver this off-season.  Norwood comes back the same week  Turner gets injured, takes over as primary carrier and tears it up down the stretch, and Leon Washington is never heard from again.  And Mike Thomas kicks my ass in week 13 when I need a win to make the playoffs after a 4 game losing streak.   I’ve seen that movie too.

As we inch closer to kickoff of the Week 8 games, let’s take a look at a few players and teams that will either be a trick or treat this week.
1. Miles Austin – He could have another big game, but I’m guessing Jason Witten is the big star in Big D this week.   Austin = TRICK

2. The Cleveland Browns – They’re bad on both sides of the ball and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bears pitched a shutout.   The Browns = TRICK

3. LeSean McCoy – With Brian Westbrook concussed and out, McCoy gets the nod. Not the greatest of matchups, but he’ll be used heavily and could be a PPR gem this week.   McCoy = TREAT

4. Reggie Wayne – Looks like he’s gonna give it a go, and against a really poor Niner pass defense, he could have 75 yards and a score by halftime.   Wayne = TREAT

5. Devin Hester – Think he’ll manage over 100 yards against the Browns? As a Bear fan and Hester owner, I’m hoping so. Hester = TREAT

Good luck this week, Huddlers!  And remember to go easy on the treats.  Unless they’re fantasy football treats!