When I was 7 years old I moved to Lake Wales. No friends. One sister who was older and didn’t want to be seen with her younger brother. Things were tough. I spent most of my first weeks sitting alone on the bus trying not to be noticed but the forced interaction of the bus ride was always the toughest part. Our bus was too full to sit alone so I spent most days rushing to the bus to pick a spot in the front and praying that no one would sit beside me. Until I spotted a buck tooth boy sporting a bowl hair cut playing his Gameboy near the front. Finally, someone that I could just beside and not have to talk to.
Our friendship blossomed, mainly because I realized that my opinions were too important to keep to myself, so I started talking. We discovered a mutual interest in Pokémon. Our friendship took a real turn when we started collecting baseball and football cards. Now, as cute as this sounds, two seven year olds trading cards on the bus, it took a savage turn when my friend showed me his limited-edition Charles Woodson rookie card. The card featured the picture of Charles infamous punt return against Ohio State that propelled Michigan to a National Championship on the front and all of his stats while we was at the University of Michigan.
Now, my friend knew that I loved the University of Michigan and that Charles Woodson was one of my favorite players. So, did he give me the card? No. Did he make a reasonable offer, that would give him equal value for the card? No. He took the next few weeks to Lord the card over me until I gave him everything worth value I had for it. Yes.
That was the first real deal I’ve ever made, and it taught me how to actually make a deal. The things I learned on that bus, I still use today.
Why that story you ask? Because sometimes you over pay for something but it’s still worth it in the end. That’s why it’s tough to judge most trades at this point in the year. Sure, some trades look bad on the surface but most players still have the potential to break out and every player has the potential to bust. So, don’t judge too much. Unless you’re me. I can judge all I want.
BTW, I still have that card today.
Pick time.
Ben vs Tim
Yea, yea ,yea… Ben’s team is bad and Mitchell makes a witty joke about it. Been there. Done that. Let’s be real… Barring an alien invasion, Tim is going to win this match-up. More importantly I want to do my famous “Fo Real or Nah” segment with Tim’s team. I can buy into the core of Tim’s team; Brady, OBJ and Hyde. Second tier of the team isn’t bad either; Fournette and Gillislee. Where he loses me is the last two starter spots. Carson might end up being legit in Seattle but the way that O-Line looks he might not be able to do much. The rest is pretty nasty; Decker, Stewart, Abdullah, Wallace and Zay Jones. I’m sure you can find 10 points a week from someone in there but it’s going to be a frustrating guessing game. So, I’m going to have to go with Nah for now. Tim wins.
Hanna vs Derek
We have a battle between the luckiest and unluckiest teams in the league. Poor Derek has lost at least two players each week (I don’t feel bad, see story above). On the other side, where the grass is greener, Hanna is enjoying the blessed life from the fantasy gods. Not only has she won two very close games but she has a very good team. Rodgers, best QB. Elliott, second best RB. Antonio Brown, best WR. Things are looking pretty good for Hanna. As much as Derek has become the real life embodiment of the Bad Luck Brian meme…
(Made me laugh and that’s all that matters)
Derek’s team is sneaky good. I like the team. Might be able to win some games but… not this one. Hanna wins.
Mason vs Jarrod
For the marquee match-up this week, we have Mason vs Jarrod. Two very good teams, lots of good player and no obvious winner so I’m going to have to actually work for this one. Jarrod first. I’m not a believer in Kareem Hunt. There, I said it. Don’t get me wrong, Andy Reid is a very good coach and always has good RB’s so whoever is running the ball for him is going to be valuable but I don’t think he keeps up his current production. Flip side, A.J. Green is about to blow up. Nothing spells star player is about to score points, like an Offensive Coordinator being fired. Lamar Miller looks old and I like Ty Montgomery but I don’t believe his usage continues. Crabtree is going to have those weeks, but Mason has Amari who also has those weeks. Someone is getting guarded by Josh Norman this week and I believe whoever doesn’t get the Norman shadow will have a huge boost in targets. Natural segway to Mason. Freeman, Jordy and Tate all have good match-ups. Buck Allen should receive a good amount of work this week as well. I’m going to go with Mason for the sole reason that I don’t want to see Jarrod’s team get to 3-0. Mason wins.
Logan vs Adam
Adam has played a nice role in all of the trades that we’ve seen this year. The only issue is, he’s playing the “Ben” role more often than not. Sadly, the team I liked last week is gone and has been replaced with Demarco Murray. Logan has been staying strong. Only 1 trade, that I think he won, and that’s it. I believe it’s paying off because this is a team I like. Good running back, some stud receivers and the Bucs D. The only issue I have is his QB (for the love of all things get one off the wavier wire don’t trade for one). My “Mitchell’s Bold Pick of the Week” is Logan over Adam in a close one.
Caleb vs Gray
Hey, remember all those bad things I said about Caleb’s team… I was just playing. Now, sure… Kill me for some of things I said last week about Caleb’s team. I’m a grown man. Blame me. (That’s for the real football fans). There are still things I don’t like about this team. I don’t like Hopkins, I don’t like Fitz and guess what?! I DON’T LIKE C.J. ANDERSON. There I said it. I was disgusted last week watching him run all over Dallas. It was trash. Gray on the other hand cemented the fact he won’t win the league with his “I won’t make trades” stance. That’s like buying a hybrid car and refusing to put gas in it. Sure, you might get far but you will eventually run out of gas. You’re starting Gio Bernard this week… your car is already on a quarter tank. Caleb wins.
Mitchell vs Jake
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m disappointed in Jake. I thought you’d be out there wheeling and dealing, but… nothing. Especially when you lose your first pick, you must do some trading but there’s nothing but crickets coming from you. On the bright side, you’re starting three New England pass catchers, which means at least one will have a decent week. The bad news… The other two aren’t going to be worth a start. The rest of the team is just as exciting as you’d expect. I really believe that my team is coming around. I believe Mike Evans is a top 4 receiver, Marshawn still has the dance moves and TY Hilton has to eventually get the ball… Right? Well anyway, I think you know where I’m going with this one. Jake wins. Reverse curse.
Be good everyone.
The MFL 