Change Is in the Air, Baby!

Change is definitely in the air. But you need to stay consistent. This time of year you have to be especially aware of injuries. They are part of the game and you cannot change this. What you can do is be smart about anticipating injuries and having a plan in case your guys get hurt. Change is in the air, and you better be ready!

Michael Singletary is a Warrior

Yeah, everyone wants to talk about Mike Singletary and Vernon Davis this week. This is a little off-topic for fantasy football. But here's what I think about this whole deal.

I'm So Elated for LenDale White

I talk about the return of LT and Brian Westbrook to the top of the heap here, and also have some nice words about LenDale White. And for you young running backs out there, listen to my advice on the proper care and feeding of your offensive lineman!

Big Back Syndrome is Taking Over

One big trend we're seeing is the Big Back Syndrome. As the season wears on, the large boys are starting to punish those defenses, and are holding up better than the smaller backs.

Look at the top two runhing backs this week, Steven Jackson and LenDale White. Both go about 235, and they're leading a parade of big backs in the NFL this year.

And for the season, you can definitely see the trend for big backs. You've got Clinton Portis (5-11, 221), Marion Barber (6-0, 225), Matt Forte (6-2 and an honest 220), and Frank Gore as four of the top five. I know that Frank is only 5-9, but at 217 he might be the strongest back in the league. He hits the hole HARD, and blasts a hole of his own when he doesn't see one.

Reggie Bush is the only smaller back in the top five, and look, he's hurt. I'm hoping he gets back out there real soon, but this is how life in the NFL can be sometimes.

So as the season wears on, put your big boys in the game. They'll score consistent points for you.

Think Over the Long Haul

So many FFL players start overthinking the problem at this point in the season. We're almost halfway through and there have been a lot of surprising results in recent weeks. For fantasy players, this leads to outsmarting yourself a lot of time with your sit/start decisions, and how you use waiver wires and trades.

My advice is to stay consistent. Look at the top six or seven in each category and they're not changing much week to week. There will always be a couple of guys who come out of nowhere each week, and if you picked those guys you get to look smart and talk some stuff.

But real success is based on consistency, in fantasy football and the NFL. This is what Spotfire does for me. It shows who is most consistent, and then I can match consistent offensive performers up against the defenses they face each week, and make my decisions that way. I don't like just rolling the dice.

Hey, this worked for me as a player, too. I only missed two games to injury in 15 years in the NFL, because I wanted to be known as a guy who gave the same consistent effort every week. Didn't matter if I was banged up a little, or if it was going to be real cold, or even if I was facing real monsters like Lyle Alzado or Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson. I wanted to be consistent--and you should be consistent in the way you run your team.