Dave’s Football Blog

So I went to my annual office fantasy league draft last night, which always lasts about an hour and a half longer than it should, because everyone 1.) forgets when it’s their turn and 2.) inevitably tries to pick players who are either out for half the season or already off the board. One of the owners moved away and couldn’t attend via chat, and her team was being selected off an ESPN list by the commissioner.

End result: half her team consists of players from the AFC North.

In case you missed it, teams in the AFC North play everyone in both the AFC South and NFC East this year. Six of those eight teams made the playoffs last year.

What’s more, AFC North teams appear to be in severe disarray. The Baltimore Ravens still don’t know who their quarterback is, and their defensive stars aren’t getting any younger. The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line looks even worse than last year, and they’re stuck with a 2nd-round receiver who can’t catch. The Cincinnati Bengals are as big a mess as ever, what with their broken-nosed quarterback, their injured and oblivious star wideout, and their increasingly frustrated fan base. The Cleveland Browns might actually be (*cough*) the best of this lot, but they have a sketchy secondary, and their QBs aren’t exactly lighting it up.

8-8 is going to win this division, folks. These are all teams with big glaring weaknesses going up against two of the toughest divisions in the NFL. This does not bode well for any of them.

Perhaps this doesn’t matter so much in fantasy football. Perhaps guys like Braylon Edwards and Willie Parker and Willis Mcgahee will still get their touchdowns and have their big games more often than not. Still, when it’s obvious that these teams are going to have horrible seasons, do you really want to start chasing after their players?

(Of course, feel free to take that advise with a grain of salt. I took Jake Delhomme in the 12th round when Matt Schaub was still on the board. I’m such a homer…)