Vikings risked a lot, lost a lot by playing Peterson

I don't have Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in any fantasy football league, so I'm not upset at the prospect of losing a star running back.

I just thought it was completely the wrong decision to have him play in the Vikings' remaining games.

Just two weeks ago, I smiled after Peterson acknowledged fantasy football fans when he said he was returning for his fantasy football owners. He was kidding, but it was fun.

You can check the link here.

At the end of that post, I warned: I hope he doesn't return too early and injure himself.

I didn't want to jinx him.

Honestly.

I just thought it was too much of a risk to bring back the franchise running back at probably less than 100 percent with nothing to play for.

Nothing good could have come from it.

As it turned out, something bad did.

All I want for Christmas is a Super Bowl title

Merry Christmas, everyone.

I hope fantasy titles are under the tree for you.

2 out of 4 teams still going

Most fantasy football leagues are entering Super Bowl week.

If you're still going, congratulations for getting there. Good luck the rest of the way.

I have two of my four teams left. One is in the big game, the other is in the semifinals.

Here's what happened:

Redraft league (14 teams): I entered the playoffs 8-4-1 as the third seed. I lost my quarterfinal matchup by two points. I had DeMarco Murray at RB2 (LeSean McCoy the other) and would have won if he didn't get injured.

Redraft league (10 teams): Top seed at 10-4 with the top overall total in points scored. I was routed last week by a team with Reggie Bush (career day) and Lance Moore going off.

One-team keeper (12 teams): Went 8-5, good for third seed and second overall in scoring. Squeaked out quarterfinal win when Jake Ballard was tackled at the 1. Won my semifinal match by 6 points, thanks to Megatron going off for me and Eli Manning struggling for my opponent.

Seven-team keeper (8 teams): 11-3 overall, top seed, tops in scoring. Secured first-round bye. Play in semifinals this week.

Super Bowl-bound. Did I win or my opponent lose?

There's nothing like having the high score of the week in your fantasy football league.

It's even better when it's the semifinals of your league's playoffs.

Despite my good fortune, I had to sweat out a win this week because my opponent had the second-highest scoring team of the week.

The game, which I won by 6 points, wasn't decided until the 49ers benched Frank Gore in the fourth quarter after they went up 20-3.

Whew.

I started Julio Jones last Thursday (much debated by me), but my opponent had Roddy White.

I debated starting Rex Grossman over Mike Vick, but stuck with Vick (good call). My opponent started Eli Manning over Tim Tebow (the correct call, but bad outcome for my opponent, but it worked out for me).

The star of the series for me was Calvin Johnson.

Megatron nearly scored 50 points in my PPR league that awards bonuses for length of touchdowns and 100-yard games.

So, did Calvin win it or did Eli hand it to me?

I guess I don't really care. I'm in the Super Bowl.

There's another week of deliberation ahead.

Gotta love the Vikings' Adrian Peterson

Don't think NFL players care about fantasy football?

Think again.

Check out what the Vikings' Adrian Peterson said about returning this week:

"It's very important, especially for my fantasy team owners," Peterson said with a smile. "They've been giving me a hard time."

I hope he doesn't return too early and injure himself.

I have Antonio Brown on my bench this week

Those darn Thursday night games really can mess with a fantasy football league playoff push.

This week, Julio Jones played on Thursday night, which isn't such a bad thing. With my receivers (Calvin Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Brown), however, I've stashed Jones on my bench the past couple weeks.

That changed Thursday. I inserted Julio Jones into my lineup in my semifinal matchup and benched Antonio Brown.

I can't trust Brown if Charlie Batch is throwing him the ball. Unfortunately, Batch, Brown and the Steelers are playing Monday night, which limits options.

If Batch starts, I see a lot of three-and-outs, incomplete passes and sacks. I also can see a lot of 2-yard carries by Rashard Mendenhall.

If Orton plays, I'd be comfortable with Bowe

For the most part, Kansas City has been a wasteland for fantasy football.

The Chiefs might be a little more relevant if Kyle Orton starts at quarterback against the Packers.

If Orton gets the call, and right now I'd believe he be the one to start, then Dwayne Bowe becomes relevant again in fantasy football.

Watch the news later this week. If Orton starts, you can be sure the Chiefs will have to throw it -- probably a lot. So I'd feel comfortable going with Bowe in my playoffs.

College football: Graham sticks it to Pitt

The Pitt football program isn't what it used to be.

Need further proof? Todd Graham just left the Panthers for Arizona State.

I grew up a Pitt football and basketball fan. I remember the Jackie Sherrill days.

There haven't been many great days since.

Pitt thinks higher of itself than the rest of the country. That's not a bad thing, it's just a realistic assessment of the program.

A little more than 12 months ago, Dave Wannstedt was the coach. Today, Pitt will be looking for it's fourth coach over than same time period.

That's not stability. That's not the way a great program should work -- or in this case be forced to work.

Maybe it's just a bad string of luck. Athletic director Steve Pederson didn't know Mike Haywood wouldn't work out. And I'm sure Pederson didn't expect this from Graham.

I liked the Graham hire, but I was certainly wrong about that.

Even if I wasn't a Pitt football fan, I wouldn't think very highly of Graham after leaving a program the way he did.

Hopefully Pitt will make a better hire and get the program on track.

I'm picking up Mikel Leshoure this week

One league that I don't usually track on this blog is a dynasty, five-player keeper league. I co-own the team with a co-worker, plus it was a team that we took over a couple seasons ago -- and it was really bad.

It's been a slow work in progress, to say the least.

We're wrapping up the season, and have just one more week left in free agency (not counting this week).

I'm putting in a claim for Mikel Leshoure.

It's a stash-and-hope move, but it won't cost anything. Jahvid Best is concussion-prone and clearly isn't a heavy workload type of guy.

The Lions drafted Leshoure early and I thought could have been the guy this season.

Yes, injury struck.

But I'm taking a shot. If the Lions draft a running back early, so be it.

But it could pay off. If you're in a dynasty league, someone like Leshoure could be a player to target.

Will my Antonio Brown curse continue?

I've chronicled my last week with Antonio Brown here on my site.

My team advanced, despite my boneheaded move. On Tuesday, I set my lineup for this week's semifinal game in my league's fantasy football playoffs.

Antonio Brown was there as my flex.

Now, I'm worried.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is iffy for this week's game. If he doesn't start, Charlie Batch is the guy.

Oh, no.

Should I set Brown yet again?

I might.

The Steelers playing on Monday night also complicates things.

If I wait until Monday, then I really roll the dice.

If you're in the same boat as me, wait until the end of the week and see if Big Ben practices. If it looks like he's sitting, then Brown's going to be on my bench.

Julio Jones would then get the start.

I had Antonio Brown and Julio Jones on my bench ... and won

Well, if you saw my post last week about Antonio Brown being on my bench, you might be wondering how it went.

I hate Thursday night games, so I benched Brown, believing he wouldn't go off against the Browns' top pass defense. I also thought Rashard Mendenhall would get a heavy workload, minimizing the chances for Brown.

Well, I was wrong.

Brown had a 30-plus point day, keeping the curse of Thursday night games alive, at least for me.

I still had a good team, so I wasn't completely in panic mode.

Santana Moss was on waivers, so I could have picked him up.

Instead, I was looking a Julio Jones and Mike Tolbert.

Of course, I went with Tolbert, who had a nice matchup against the Bills, instead of Jones, who scored 30-plus points himself in my league's PPR scoring.

Tolbert at least vultured a TD from Ryan Mathews and helped me win by four points.

Next week, however, I doubt Tolbert will be in my flex. His touches are down and Brown and Jones are looking good.

1-1 last week, thanks to DeMarco Murray

It takes a lot of luck to win a fantasy football championship.

I was on both ends of it Sunday night.

In my one quarterfinal match, I was up four points at the end of the Giants-Cowboys game. My opponent and I did not have anyone on the Rams or Seahawks, so our battle was closing in a hurry.

For most of that Sunday night game, I was in control. Late in the fourth quarter, Jake Ballard caught a touchdown, narrowing my lead. My opponent had Ballard left, and still had a chance. On the Giants' final drive, Eli Manning hit Ballard, and he was headed for the end zone.

Thankfully, Ballard was tackled just short of a touchdown, saving me.

Earlier Sunday, in my other league, I had DeMarco Murray leave the game. I lost by five points. Had Murray not suffered a season-ending injury, I'm sure I'd be in the semifinals, especially when you look at what Felix Jones did in Murray's place.

That's how it goes in fantasy football.

Have any interesting tales? Post them in comments.

Vikings could be making mistake with Peterson

Let's see, you're a 2-10 team, your franchise player isn't 100 percent and yet you're still considering playing him?

Man, the Minnesota Vikings would be making a bad move starting Adrian Peterson.

There's no reward by sending Peterson out there, unless the owner or coach needs Peterson in their fantasy football playoffs.

I'd bench my multi-million dollar running back until he was 100 percent.

Antonio Brown's big game was on my bench

Up until 11 p.m. Thursday night, I was feeling OK with my decision to bench Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in the first round of my fantasy football playoffs.

Then, he clinched the game for the Steelers on a 79-yard TD reception.

Ugh.

Well, here's why I did it.

Brown would have been in my flex spot. However, I thought the matchup against the Browns, who were strong against the pass this season, favored a lot of running by Rashard Mendenhall.

That, in addition to my bad luck starting Thursday night players this season, made me gun shy.

I also had Mike Tolbert (vs. the Bills) and Julio Jones as other options as my flex.

Tolbert's there, but I don't expect 30-plus points from him. I am expecting a good game.

We'll see how it goes on Sunday.

DeSean Jackson won't last the season on my team

I've been relying on Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson in my redraft league all season.

Next week, he gets cut.

I can't bear starting the playoffs with a player that can't meet ever-shrinking expectations.

Players available in my 14-team PPR league that I'll consider before I make my move: Eric Decker, Doug Baldwin, Johnny Knox, Damian Williams and Lance Moore. If Santana Moss is still available I'll add him to the mix, too.