Why is it that when we’re young, the “real world” is presented as such a cut and dry place – one that won’t be tolerant of our flaws?
For years, we compete for a fictitious number they call a GPA and a piece of paper known as a degree. We work our tail off, hoping this will fully prepare us for our futures. It doesn’t. I don’t know if anything really can. And then suddenly, we’re in our early 20s with real jobs, responsibilities, relationships and a FICO® Score to maintain.
We find corporate or government jobs, move to cities, maybe settle down on the northside. One minute we think we love it. The next, we wonder how we got here. With every changing of the seasons, we can’t help but feel that this is the time in our lives where we either have to achieve greatness or settle for complacency.
What I’ve realized lately is that it’s often not one or the other. Rather, most of us in our early 20s are just somewhere in-between it all. While some of us may aspire more for just an “ordinary” life, the majority of us just want to find one thing – happiness – in our work, relationships and hobbies.
When you’re so young and trying to break out from a sheltered lifestyle, milestones like finding a new job, buying a house or starting a family – can feel gravely overwhelming at times.
But not today, not under this October sky. Instead of manifesting, applying and waiting, let’s take a breath, and just reflect on the learning experiences. Eventually, We’re going to realize that most of us are just like one another, a bit lost and confused, but filled with good intentions.
A Note of Self Awareness
I get that taking life advice from a 23-year-old writer may not be at the top of your autumn well-being checklist. But hear me out: I don’t know it all. I’m just like most in this time of their lives, still just trying to figure it out.
That’s why I seek counsel from those who have been here before. I seek to learn from their triumphs and stumbles, apply them to my own life and share them with readers.
So if you’re like me, just somewhere between it all in your early 20s, here’s some advice – given from those who’ve been in our place before and made it through:
1. Listen
For any sound advice to make a lasting impact, the person consuming it needs to be open and willing to listen. If that’s not you, no worries, just skip roughly the next 300 words.
If it is you, your curious tendencies could pay off, at least that’s according to Joshua Hudson, founder of Club Fantasy FFL.
“When someone older than you has some advice to offer, especially when they’ve experienced the same thing you’re going through – just listen to them,” Hudson said in an Oct. 20 Twitter comment. “Don’t be stubborn. You’ll be better off in the long run by listening.”
2. Be Yourself & The Rest Will Follow
There will always be a fine line between being open to advice and staying true to who you are. To make it even more difficult, a lot of us are just finding out who we are in our early 20s. But when you do find it, embrace it. Pay no attention to those who just don’t get it, and embrace the ones who do.
“Don’t care too much about what others think of you,” said Crystal Scuor, journalist/content producer for Motorsport Games, in an Oct 20 Twitter comment. ”The right ones will see you for who you truly are and that’s all that matters.”
3. Embrace Life’s Clichés
With trends coming and going today as quick as a stiff drink in our cups after a long week’s work, it can be common to feel the need to keep up with the times and avoid any sort of ticky-tackiness.
But there’s something about embracing life’s cliché advice that just makes it make that much more sense.
“For me, it’s that all the ‘cheesy’ and generic advice is true,” said @cooterdoodle, social media coordinator for Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life and creator of “Petite Pods” and “Fantasy Mixtape,” in an Oct. 20 Twitter comment. “‘You can’t make everyone happy.’ ‘Life is too short.’ It’s all true, but it may not be time for you to hear it.”
Of course, there will be days beyond this that these cliches won’t fit and you won’t have any advice for yet. But continue to be open to learning from others, be true to yourself and embrace the clichés. Do this, and you’ll be steps closer to wherever you’re headed.
But for now. Breathe. Actually, take a deep breath, exhale… and enjoy those October skies while you can.
For more advice specifically for those in their early 20s, check out this Twitter thread:
I'm working on an upcoming column and want to know:
What is the best piece of advice you have for someone in their early-mid 20s? Comment ⬇️ or DM me.
Any input is well appreciated!
— Seth Woolcock (@Between_SethFF) October 20, 2021
Alright, and here we go.
The following start/sit selections are based on stats, trends and film research, reflecting value in Points Per Reception (PPR) Redraft Leagues.
Quarterback I’d Start this Week:
Sam Darnold (Carolina): In a week where six of the most fantasy-revenant teams are on bye (Buffalo, Dallas, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota and Pittsburgh), Sam Darnold, who is currently QB11 on the season, seems like a solid play.
He’s traveling back to his former stadium where the team faces the haggard and torn, 1-5 New York Giants. In back-to-back weeks, the Giants have allowed more than 38 points to their opponents. Both Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford had field days against this defense, finishing the week as a strong QB1 play.
Darnold has had a career year finishing as a top-five opinion at the position twice in six weeks. Being in a Joe Brady-led offense keeps him with a safe enough floor as he’s finished outside the top-15 at the position just twice. I expect this to be a get-right game for both Darnold and the Panthers to end their three-game losing streak.
Quarterback I’d Sit this Week:
Carson Wentz (Indianapolis): With so many solid teams on bye this week, you can justify playing nearly just about anyone in your fantasy lineups. However, this does not include Carson Wentz facing the San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 7.
Wentz himself has been solid this year, failing to reach 17 fantasy points in only one game this season. But the ceiling is low, eclipsing the 20-point threshold just once in Week 5. Traveling with a banged-up offensive line to face one of the league’s best pash rushes that are fresh off their bye, this smells like trouble.
There are still simply better options out there than playing the QB17 on the season as he travels the road to face a defense that can make any game tough for an immobile quarterback.
Running Back I’d Start this Week:
J.D. McKissic (Washington): It’s been a feast-or-famine season for J.D. McKissic and his fantasy managers as he’s scored more than 16 PPR points in three games and below six points in his other three games. But this week, when the Washington Football Team travels to Green Bay, I’m willing to take the risk and hope for the boom.
Game flow is the No. 1 contributing factor to my confidence in the scat-back. Washington will likely need to throw to attempt to keep up with Green Bay’s potent offense at Lambeau Field favoring McKissic, who led all RBs in targets in 2020.
Injuries also play a role in wanting to fire up McKissic, as starter Antonio Gibson was pulled for the conclusion of last week’s game to help manage his lingering shin injury. With Gibson not at 100 percent and starting tight end Logan Thomas still on the Injured Reserve List (IR), McKissic is the true No. 2 target on this offense, behind only receiver Terry McLaurin.
Running Back I’d Sit this Week:
Mark Ingram (Houston Texans): In a season when we’ve already lost 13 starting running backs to some degree of injury, it may seem out-of-pocket to recommend benching a team’s starting running back. But may I remind you that this is the 1-5 Houston Texans we’re talking about here?
Mark Ingram has seen 60.1 percent of the running back carries for the Texans, but he’s averaging just 3.3 Yards Per Carry (YPC) and has only one touchdown. He also may be starting, but Ingram owns just 38.1 percent of the backfield snaps this season.
In a game where they almost certainly will be trailing to the undefeated Cardinals, he will likely take a backseat to David Johnson, the team’s pass-catching back who’s averaging 42.4 percent of the snaps. Keep in mind, this is also a revenge game for Johnson, who spent his first five seasons in Arizona before being traded to Houston in 2020. So if the Texans do get to the goal line, we could see Johnson get the carries as opposed to Ingram.
Wide Receiver I’d Start this Week:
Allen Robinson (Chicago): After being drafted around the third round in most fantasy football redrafts, Allen Robinson has been an absolute landmine for fantasy teams. He’s been the PPR WR54 and eclipsed double-digit fantasy points just once this season, coming in Week 2 where totaled just 10.4 PPR points after reeling in a touchdown.
Allen Robinson is averaging six targets per game this season.
That said, if there is an opportunity for Robinson to bounce back before the team’s Week 10 bye, it’s here against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. For the last several years, Tampa Bay has been known for its excellent run defense. This year, it’s more of the same with the team forfeiting a league-low average of 42.3 rushing yards per game to running backs.
However, their secondary has been bottom-10 in the league this season, mostly due to injuries. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are both still banged up, and the recently-added Richard Sherman is also now doubtful for Sunday’s game.
With Chicago likely trailing most of the game and desperately needing to build the confidence of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, I expect Chicago to feature Robinson in their game plan this week, opening him up for fantasy success and justifying him as a start selection.
Wide Receiver I’d Sit this Week:
Bryan Edwards (Las Vegas): At a time when you can make a case for more than 50 receivers to get the starting nod in fantasy football this week, Bryan Edwards is not one of them.
Edwards has seen a high 75.7 percent snap share this season, yet is only PPR WR65 on the season. Over the last three weeks, he’s averaged just 1.7 receptions per game and has contributed 93 total yards. Both receivers, Henry Ruggs and Hunter Renfrow are seeing fewer snaps but more targets and receptions than Edwards.
Mix in that tight end Darren Waller is still the team’s alpha receiving weapon and the emergence of Kenyan Drake, and Edwards looks like the team’s fifth or sixth option. This week Las Vegas faces Philadelphia, whose defense limits opposing receivers to just 10.8 receptions per game (the third least in the league) – simplifying the sit decision even more.
If you have a feel-good story that you would like to share for an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming edition of “Start, Sit & Seth,” please reach out.
And for more fantasy football and uplifting content, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.