Reader Question: Is It Okay To Purposely Lose A Fantasy Football Matchup For Strategical Purposes?
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One of the things I wanted to do this year was bring more of a fantasy sports element to Barstool, with random questions like this as well as an open forum for Stoolies to discuss draft picks, talk about waiver moves, hold Lev Bell owner support group sessions etc. during a weekly Madden Twitch stream on Gametime. However, two other things that actually did happen this year (my son being born in April and my wife going back to work then getting into a car accident right as football season started in September) turned those plans from possibilities into coulda/woulda/shouldas as my brain became straight up mushy oatmeal since I was both mentally and physically overwhelmed to take care of two kids under four and a half broken wife. But hopefully next season these ideas will become a reality and there will be more of a fantasy vibe on Barstool since its only a billion dollar industry and a pirate ship could use some extra money and pageviews to buy the moon.
Anyway, with the fantasy regular season coming to an end this week for normal leagues, lets go back to this important and timely question. Whether it’s for playoff positioning, trying to choose your opponent in the playoffs, or to get a better draft pick, I haaaaaate people that throw a game on purpose. I get that there are reasons to do it and tanking happens in real life sports. But fantasy sports are different. Fantasy is about being able to talk shit to your friends and feel smarter than them because you drafted or picked up a football player that they didn’t. To lose a game on purpose when another team needs you to win is a bad idea for a lot of reasons.
For one, the person that gets screwed in that scenario is going to hate you for it. We all know that many of us take fantasy football wayyyyy too seriously and that people will hold a grudge because you played Eli Manning instead of Pat Mahomes to ensure you got to play Team C. Well guess what? The owner of Team C may punch you in the dick or face when he sees you at Team B’s Christmas party in two weeks after having a few too many egg nogs. There is no need to ruin a party or a 20-year long friendship for a year of fantasy bragging rights or the right to improve your odds of being able to draft Saquon Barkley next year.
Two, the fantasy gods are a vindictive bunch and will likely end up getting their revenge in this season or the next. I understand that there is usually a pretty clear winner in a scenario where you can lose a game on purpose. But as we all know, fantasy football makes no fucking sense sometimes and anybody can win or lose any given week. Don’t believe me? Raise your hand if you thought a player from Rutgers named Gus Edwards would be a factor in the fantasy playoffs.
*Sees no hands raised because the Gus Bus was empty until 2 weeks ago*
I am a big juju guy and losing a matchup on purpose is about the worst thing you can do for your fantasy karma.
Three, you may end up making an enemy for life in your league. If next season you need Team C to get a win to make the playoffs, they may return the favor and play a bunch of bums because you fucked them out of the 2 seed because you were scared of their team. Or maybe you need to make a trade for a quarterback next year and Team C is the only team that could possibly make a deal work. But every time you propose a trade, it just sits in his inbox like a stale fart even though you KNOW he checks his app every minute on the minute. You know why he won’t respond or make a deal with you no matter how good it is? Because hell hath no fury like a fantasy owner scorned.
Bottom line is that I am a man of integrity (more so than Smitty because I don’t kneel in Madden) and I say that throwing any fantasy matchup is bullshit. It’ll come back to bite you in one form or another down the road. And even if it doesn’t, people will think you are a huge asshole no matter how much money or trophies you win. Trust me. The guy with the most championships in my league is also the guy that has pulled more tank jobs and shady trades than everyone else combined to the point he is The Guy Who We Had To Change The Rules For To Make The League Asshole Proof instead of The Guy Who Has Dominated The League For Years. Then again, my honorable ass has never won the championship in that league, so fuck me I guess. Let me know what you think by voting here:
Bonus Advice: Kinda piggybacking off of this stuff, you should never reward the last place team with the first pick of the draft. Instead do a draft lottery where the first team to miss the playoffs has the most ping pong balls for the 1 pick and the last place team has the worst chances for the 1 pick. This way everybody has something to play for the entire season, even if they were eliminated from playoff contention earlier than the Giants. Just beat your friends asses whenever you can and never give up a win in fantasy football, because you never know when the next one will come.