Home Columns Family, Football & Enjoy the Ride

Family, Football & Enjoy the Ride

by Nate Polvogt

“The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.” – Frank Sinatra

It’s been a weekend, folks. Thursday night, my wife, Jen, and I decided to take a last-minute weekend road trip to her parents’ house near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. For those of you who don’t know Colorado, it’s in the southwest area of the state, tucked in a gorgeous mountain valley only a few miles from the Colorado-New Mexico border. From our home in Arvada, a suburb of Denver, it is a 6-hour drive on tight, mostly two-lane mountain roads. Also, we have a 3-year-old, Jackson. It can be challenging, to say the least. 

We left Friday afternoon, after spending his 3-hour pre-K prep class running around like crazy people trying to pack. When you don’t have kids, it’s so easy to just up and run, as long as work allows. When you have kids, it sometimes feels like you are packing for six people to go camping for a month than going on a meager trip for two days. 

Jackson staring off into Lake Navajo after an afternoon on the boat.

It was a great trip. We got to spend quality time with Jen’s parents, which is always a win. They love Jackson and were gracious enough to allow Jen and I to go for a long hike in one of my favorite places on the planet. We also got to take Jackson out on the boat for an afternoon (he mostly hated it and slept almost the whole time). 

We usually dread the drive. It’s long, obviously, and fairly treacherous. People pass across double yellow lines like maniacs, some of the roads run dangerously close to a sheer drop from which there is no recovering, and at times, it’s just flat out boring. Because of this, we don’t go down there as often as we should. And it’s a shame.

The world is a crazy place right now. We all need an escape. We nearly missed out on an opportunity to spend invaluable time with family. Our son couldn’t have been happier the entire weekend. He has grandparents who love him unconditionally and will spend every second with him if that’s what he wants. But, we almost didn’t make the trip because of the perceived inconvenience.

Jen and I stop for a selfie in Turkey Springs, Colorado, just north of Pagosa Springs.

Life is so short. It’s downright hard. However, there are people and experiences in life that can make it less so. When the world is seemingly collapsing around you, find your distraction. Find your love. Find what makes you happy. It can be as simple as a Sunday afternoon drive in the country or an afternoon of golf once a month. It could be as bold as selling everything you own and moving to a foreign country. Whatever it is, find it, embrace it and enjoy the ride. 

Speaking of enjoying the ride, this 2020 season has been crazy, and though the injuries have been awful and heartbreaking in a human, non-fantasy football sense, it’s actually been fun. The volatility and “Did that just happen?” moments are what we all live for. And winning. Always winning. 

And with that, let’s talk about some WR’s that are gonna make your brow sweat here with “Hot, Medium & Mild: Week 4: Wide Receiver Edition.”

Boy, a lot is going on this week. Mitchell Trubisky is out in Chi-town, as we all expected would happen, and Nick Foles looks good. Like, really good. Allen Robinson anyone? 

Then we have Justin Herbert taking the reins in Los Angeles for the Chargers, and Keenan Allen is reaping the rewards. My-oh-my. There’s a lot to unpack. So, without further adieu, let’s get into some football, baby!

HOT — Thai Pepper

Allen Robinson: Chicago at Indianapolis

We all knew it was coming. Trubisky couldn’t live forever in the QB1 role in Chicago, especially with the acquisition of Nick Foles. It was only a matter of time, and the time is nigh. 

Allen Robinson finished as the PPR WR4 in Week 3.

You can bet Allen Robinson is going to reap the rewards. We saw it in the fourth quarter Sunday, where Foles targeted Robinson repeatedly, leaning on him to set the stage for a huge comeback against the hapless Falcons. 

Robinson was the overall Points Per Reception (PPR) WR78 in Week 2. Week 3, with Foles at the helm for the final 24 minutes, Robinson ended at WR4 overall. Quite the difference.

With Trubisky presumably spending the remainder of the season benched in favor of a healthy Foles, it’s all uphill from here for Robinson. He appears to be the favorite target in Chicago now over Anthony Miller, so don’t be surprised if we see him as a top-5 PPR WR start for the remainder of the season. 

MEDIUM — Poblano Pepper

Tee Higgins – Jacksonville at Cincinnati

Cincinnati is a curious animal this season. Joe Mixon has not lived up to his Average Draft Position (ADP) so far. Joe Burrow has looked like most expected incredibly talented on a pretty bad team. A.J. Green is, well, A.J. Green. Tyler Boyd has taken over the WR1 role, and has looked pretty good doing it. And Tee Higgins. He has seemingly replaced John Ross in the WR3 slot in Cincinnati. 

Burrow loves to air it out, possibly because the run game is borderline awful without Mixon producing. And Higgins has slowly emerged as a favorite target for Burrow.

Boyd will continue to be WR1 if he’s healthy, but Green looks to be skipping farther down the check-offs as Burrow and Higgins build a solid rapport. He increased his targets from six in Week 2 to nine in Week 3 and is looking more and more comfortable. 

With a very favorable matchup against a porous Jacksonville defense that will undoubtedly put most of their focus on shutting down Boyd, Higgins is an attractive, albeit risky, start in any PPR league. 

MILD — Pimento

Odell Beckham Jr. – Cleveland at Dallas

Oh, what could have been. I had Odell Beckham Jr. as my pre-season all-in WR. The expectations heading to the season in Cleveland were that Beckham was going to explode. He hasn’t, and I’m here to tell you he won’t. 

Baker Mayfield threw the ball 23 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, while Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 35 carries, 154 yards and two touchdowns. Beckham has become more of a coverage distraction than anything else and is a non-factor in the red zone. Heading into Week 4 against a Dallas defense that is ranked 23rd in the NFL against the run, look for Cleveland to continue the ground assault, especially inside the 20, leaving Beckham out in the cold. 

And there you have it. Take it or leave it, and good luck in Week 4!


And now, let’s have a chuckle at a ridiculously corny dad joke…

I used to be addicted to the hokey pokey.

Then I turned myself around.

As always, thanks for reading. For more fantasy and life content, find me on Twitter @jenatejack2017.

You may also like

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00