In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:
Like any normal person who dabbles in normal hobbies outside of football, I've been taking some time to consume media that has nothing to do with football this offseason …
… kind of.
It’s not like football is the only thing I think about.
Here’s my biggest non-football takeaway from the weekend:
"I keep learning again and again that hope is the right response to the human condition."
John Green, an author who definitely has nothing to do with football.
Pop off, John Green! But …
Well …
UGH! I’M WEAK! I CAVED! I can’t help but think about how this statement absolutely, without a doubt, 100% completely applies to football.
“Hope is the right response.” All offseason, I’ve been responding with despair … But John Green is right, NFL fans! And I need to change my ways.
So with this new revelation, I must apologize to all those NFL fans who’ve been responding with nothing but hope, amidst some truly wretched situations:
Seahawks fans: Is it too late now to say sorry?
Plenty of organizations give themselves a facelift during the offseason. And plenty of those organizations are met with positive results (Hi, Washington!).
Perhaps I overreacted to Seattle's back-to-back-to-back losses of Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett.
I mean, it's not like the Seahawks haven't been working their butts off towards filling in those gaps on offense:
- WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 1 year - up to $5.5 million
- WR Cooper Kupp: 3 years - $45 million
- QB Sam Darnold: 3 years - $100.5 million
Sure, don't Google: "Cooper Kupp, how old?" or “MIN Wild Card Weekend, Sam Darnold highlights.”
But it's like John Green said: Hope is the right response, Seattle!
And I really hope relying on Sam Darnold doesn't come back to bite you in the a**.
Giants fans: I screwed up.
I may have been a little harsh with my reaction to Russell Wilson's 1-year $10.5 million contract.
I was upset that the epic Jameis-Winston-to-Malik-Nabers era had ended so abruptly. I couldn't stop thinking about Jerry Jeudy's 2024 successes (read: his 70-yard and 89-yard TDs). And I couldn't stop thinking about how those successes should have directly trickled down to benefit Nabers in 2025.
But no matter how you look at it—this is, without a doubt, an upgrade to NY's QB room compared to last year's.
Hope is the right response, New York!
And I really hope relying on Russell Wilson doesn't come back to bite you in the a**.
Colts fans: I owe you an apology.
I've been quoting John Madden nonstop since Daniel Jones signed with the Colts. You know the one: "If you have two quarterbacks, you have none."
But I'm here to publicly admit to all of you: That wasn't really fair of me, and I'm sorry.
It was a different time back then when John Madden spoke those words. I mean, he neverrrr could've imagined the elite level of pure athleticism that would emerge from a Daniel Jones/Anthony Richardson QB competition.
And maybe, just maybe … When you have two QBs like this, you have a whole QB room that is greater than the sum of its parts. ( ... The parts.)
Hope is the right response, Indianapolis. I'm sure of it!
And I really hope relying on Daniel Jones doesn't come back to bite you in the a**.
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Re-grading 2024 Dynasty Rookie Drafts
“There’s nothing quite like good ole hindsight to really make you feel dumb.” - Ian Hartitz
Ian takes us through the good, the bad, and the dumb dumbs as he regrades 2024 rookie drafts with the gift of hindsight.
While some of Ian’s grades are painful to look back upon, you neeeed to heed my warnings: If we don’t learn our history, we’re bound to take Caleb Williams over Jayden Daniels again.
ew.
At least Brock Bowers didn’t let us down.
WHO’S THE NO. 1 QB FOR DYNASTY?
Buy Low on Rashid Shaheed!
I'm not so sure "the girl with 3 Rashid Shaheed jerseys" should be given more airtime on the topic. Because let's call a spade a spade—I'm a biased spade.
You've heard enough from me over the last few years. So, instead of me gushing over my love for Shaheed …
Here's what someone else has to say about buying low on Rashid Shaheed! (Spoiler Alert: I agree with all of it.)
Here’s some NFL news to sift through while you’re resting on the couch. You’ve earned it:
👀 Can Browns fans finally get excited? If this comes true, they should…
🤡 Brandon Aiyuk is staying in San Francisco!? … April Fools?
🤑 Don’t just watch the NFL Draft. Bet on it. +350 for a QB to Cleveland?
💔 The Aaron Rodgers timeline is a flat circle. Break up with him, girl PIT.
🎯 Not all targets are created equal. Measuring the importance of them all.
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