For American sports fans, August is punctuated by two sports at opposite ends of their seasons the MLB enters its final quarter as teams start to make their playoff push, and the NFL begins its season with the monotony of training camp and preseason games.
While most football fans don't pay much attention to the results of August's four preseason games, the competition does get people talking about one of the sport's biggest modern phenomena: fantasy football.
For those who have never played, fantasy sports allow fans to draft their own teams and compete against friends. Winners are determined as players are awarded points for their on-field actions. What began in the 1960s as a nerdy way to follow baseball stars has evolved into a huge industry with dozens of media outlets offering their own online version of the game and hundreds of guides that help fantasy participants select their teams.
Fantasy football allows fans to engage with the games they love as a Monday-morning quarterback and make whatever decisions they think would best help their team. Fans can use their fantasy leagues as an excuse to spend their entire Sundays glued to the gridiron.
To construct the perfect team, some grab a top running back first or take a kicker before the last round. I finished second in my league last year, so that pretty much makes me an expert. In the spirit of national conversation, here's my look into the crystal ball with three fantasy football predictions for 2013. Follow at your own risk.
1. Robert Griffin III will not fall to the sophomore slump like Cam Newton last year.
RG3 and Newton have had similar career trajectories, winning Heisman trophies and putting up tremendous numbers as rookie quarterbacks. However, Newton followed up his first campaign with a tumultuous performance that saw many question his leadership abilities in the NFL. Griffin impressed during his first exposure to the NFL, but his season ended with an ACL injury in the playoffs. Reports say that RG3 will be healthy for opening day, and I look at his touchdown-to-interception ratio as a key factor that distinguishes him from Newton. In his two seasons, Newton threw 40 touchdown passes to 29 interceptions while Griffin threw 20 touchdown strikes last season with only five picks. It's rare to see young quarterbacks adjust to reading NFL defenses that easily, which speaks volumes about RG3's readiness to continue his rookie success.'
2. Don't give up on the Patriots' passing attack.
New England quarterback Tom Brady was forced to adjust to a new receiving corps this training camp with the free agency loss of All-Pro slot receiver Wes Welker, the arrest of tight end Aaron Hernandez and TE Rob Gronkowski's injury woes. The loss of three top-caliber options led many to assert the end of the Patriots' offensive dominance of the past half-dozen years. However, the team was quick to suppress any negative thoughts, instead pushing its "next man up" philosophy. The field results seem to suggest that Brady can work with anyone. Last weekend against Tampa Bay, Brady completed 11 of his 12 passes despite an injury scare, and Danny Amendola, the receiver brought in to replace Welker, caught six passes for 71 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown. While the prospect of Tim Tebow as a backup signal-caller may frighten many Patriots fans, it seems too early to count out Foxboro's offensive prowess.
3. Calvin Johnson will win you your league.
Traditional philosophy suggests drafting a running back first, but if you can get beyond Adrian Peterson, start looking at Megatron to be your team's cornerstone. We've seen these two players have record-breaking success as the only threatening offensive option on their respective teams. Peterson single-handedly carried his team to the playoffs last year with a 2,097-yard performance coming off ACL surgery. While Johnson had less of an effect on his team's success (the Lions finished the year 4-12), he set the record for receiving yards in a season with 1,964 with a below-average quarterback and broken fingers. A receiver who sets records without the use of some of his fingers? That's who I want to build my team around.
So there you have it. The three keys to winning your league. RG3, the Brady Bunch and Megatron. I guess the strategy of picking the guys with the best nicknames may just work after all.
