Earlier during the semester, my opinion article titled “Who Not to Draft on Fantasy Football’’ was published on The Mirror’s website. It felt good knowing I had a list of players I did not want to draft this year, but my choices came back to haunt me. While drafting one of my fantasy football teams, I ended up drafting two players I had listed in the previous article.
It was hard for me to say no when patriots quarterback Cam Newton was still available in round 10 and I did not want to draft Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield as my backup.
When week one of the National Football League season arrived, I began eating my words when I watched Newton light it up on the field against the Dolphins. Newton still throws the football accurately and his running capabilities are just as good. While watching the game, it occurred to me that Newton wanted to show people he can still play in the NFL despite how his injuries hurt his career. Because Newton chose to challenge the odds against him, I am happy to have him as my backup quarterback in two of my leagues.
The second player I drafted from the article is a tight end, Rob Gronkowski. I drafted him because I know Gronkowski and Tom Brady have good chemistry on the football field. Gronkowski is capable of bulldozing defenders off the field while running to the goal line.
Times have changed because Brady and Gronkowski are playing for the Buccaneers who have four other tight ends on their roster. I keep thinking head coach Bruce Arians will use Gronkowski for short situation plays. Instead, he has been using Gronkowski to block the defenders. I am considering trading Gronkowski for a tight end that is more productive in the football field.
Although I am eating my own words, I am enjoying the football season and it will be interesting to see how Newton and Gronkowski continue to work on their skills while playing football.
More information about fantasy football can be found at https://fantasy.nfl.com/. Players are still able to join or start a free fantasy football league team.
