“Woooooo!” bursts forth from my lungs as if they were a cannon of pure delight. Spinning around, I feel the satisfying sting of multiple high fives through my glove for the fifth time of the day. They still hold the same fervor of the first round.
Immersed in a sea of Bengals and Steelers fans, the thrill of watching Joe Mixon have a career day feels all the more significant. This Raiders fan is experiencing a changing of the guard right in front of my eyes. You can taste the sweetness of victory in the air like the last piece of pumpkin pie with a mountain of whipped cream.
If I were at home with my leftovers, I would have changed the channel at halftime. One has to soak in as much football as possible on Sunday… and this game felt over. Also, as a fan of the Raiders, I have no real allegiances here outside of the “home team.”
Here I am though at the first game I’ve been to live in about a decade. Intoxicated by soaking in the 41-3 lead of the Bengals with Andrew Hall of Fantasy Pros, this experience is priceless. Shout out to Andrew’s wife for not wanting to venture out on a crisp Ohio day. I owe her one because I learned a lot today.
Many times we are told and even say that the home experience is better than a live game – I don’t believe it is so definitive anymore.
Experiences are the spice of life. Much like going to see a band play live versus listening via your buds, a live game just has energy that is irreplaceable. The buzz of electricity that flows through the crowd is palpable. Bonding with friends through common interests and stories shared between plays is irreplaceable. Seeing how teammates interact between plays and drives helps complete the story of their impact on the team. These things are not able to be replicated at home.
There are some other things that will be difficult to replicate. Let’s get into it!
Cordarrelle Patterson (RB, Atlanta Falcons)
This season has been fantastic for Cordarrelle Patterson and it will continue to be that way through the end of the season. His run as an RB1 has been great to see. If you have him as a contender in any format, you should hold tight and enjoy the ride.
Should you find yourself out of contention, it’s time to cash in before it is too late. You can expect to get somewhere between a 2022 mid-first round pick to a couple of 2022 second-round picks back. Either option will be worth more to you than Patterson in the long run.
Aaron Jones (RB, Green Bay Packers)
In a world where the only Packers running back flashing greatness was Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon was an afterthought. The sun is swiftly setting on that world. A new day is dawning with Dillon showing his effectiveness and Matt LeFleur taking notice of what fantasy owners have known for some time.
Jones is looking at more of a timeshare in the future. If you have Jones as a contender you might see if you can snag a somewhat younger player and a pick. Josh Jacobs is a player who is clearly the top back for his team and is only two points back in PPR points-per-game average. If you aren’t contending, you should be able to get mid-to-early first-round value for him right now out of someone making the push for the ship.
James Conner (RB, Arizona Cardinals)
If you had bet me at the beginning of this season that James Conner would be able to net you a late first-rounder in a trade, I’d have taken that bet. Here we are though! You have one more window to cash out on Conner if he is on your squad.
As a contender, I’d look to hold or move him to a team on the bubble with a similar strategy as with Jones. The difference is you will have to send at least a second or third round-pick with Conner to get a younger player. Again, if you aren’t in it to win it this season. Time to flow with the winds of change and get him to someone with championship aspirations.
Make today a great day! And don’t forget to be awesome (DFTBA)!