Fantasy Fix 2

It's week 16 of the NFL season and more importantly, Fantasy Football Championship week. I had 5 teams this year and 4 of them are still alive. Today, I have 3 teams playing for championships and a 4th team in the semi-finals of a 17 week league.

I'm in the championship in the 2 leagues that I care the most about, the Marathoner's League and the $$$ League. In the $$$ League, my line up is set and all I can do is sit and wait for the results. In the Marathoner's League, I have a key decision to make. I need to replace the injured Anquan Boldin (a stud) with one of several unattractive options in the flex position. I have to choose from Justin Fargas, Jonathan Stewart, and Cedric Benson.

I don't trust Fargas this week because I have a feeling that Oakland is going to lean on McFadden the final two weeks to see what they have for next season. Normally, Stewart is a solid option but this week I really don't like him against a tough Giants defense. Benson is never a good choice although he is playing against a pretty bad Cleveland run defense. He also showed signs of life last week against the Redskins.

So I'm forced to roll the dice and the winner is Cedric Benson. All I can do is hope for the best. In his favor, he will be the primary ball carrier, whereas the other two choices will be sharing carries with another back. Second, he is running for his career. He needs to show other teams that he can play in the NFL if he wants to have a job next year. Third, looking at his production (or lack thereof) over the last few weeks, I noticed that he has been playing against some pretty tough defenses including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Even premier RBs look bad against those teams. Finally, Benson has been running his mouth lately and he's going to feel the need to back it up.

I may regret this decision by the end of the day but sadly, I really think he is my best option this week. And now I have an excuse to watch the pathetic Cleveland/Cincinnati game while the rest of the country gets to watch the Steelers/Titans.