I am going to clear the air once and for all and give my readers the solution that will put an end to the one thing that causes mass chaos in a fantasy league. (This is going to turn into a sermon handed down to me from fantasy Eezus himself, so feel free to skip to the recaps)

This reoccurring problem has driven owners all across America nuts for years due to the fact that it causes drama similar to that of a seventh grade girls birthday party. This despicable thing I am talking about is none other than gray areas within rules. In fantasy football, gray area is defined just as it is in real life; which is an ill-defined situation or field no readily conforming to an existing set of rules. Gray area within the rules is the cause of many disputes amongst owners. These disputes most commonly include, but are not restricted to: scheduling errors, tiebreaker disputes, trading rules, and add/dropping players. My advice on avoiding these conflicts is to eliminate the gray area in the rules that your league has. The simplest way of doing this is to write out a constitution. The words in that constitution stand true and should be upheld by all league members and ultimately the commissioner. Here are the ways to construct a strong constitution.

1: Scheduling -If your league has divisions, then division opponents should play each other twice. Inter-division match ups would then fill the rest of the schedule. No two teams should ever play each other more than twice. This sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised.

2: Tie-breakers- This can be voted on when your league is forming their constitution. I believe that ties for head to head games should then go to bench points to determine a winner. Points-for should decide ties in the standings due to the fact that it is the best way to determine whether your time was actually successful, or if you just had lucky match ups with the lowest scoring team week in and week out.

3:  Trading rules- In most ESPN leagues there is a veto option, and to this day, I cannot figure out why that is. I compare the veto feature to using the bumpers in bowling. Little kids use bumpers and only little kids fail to understand if a trade betters their team or not. Only the owners of the two teams involved can decide if the trade betters their team or not. It is not for the other owners to decide what is a good deal for another owner. Also, it is rude to the owners involved in a vetoed trade. It basically says those owners are incapable of deciding the fate of his or her team. Also, if you don’t believe an owner in your league is capable of deciding what is best for their team, then they probably shouldn’t be in the league in the first place. If you are over the age of 12, remove the veto feature from your league. Doing so will result in a drama free season.

4: Add/ Dropping players- Due to my Bieber like brat rant in the last paragraph I will keep this subject short and sweet. Agree to a wavier wire system, and if your team is stinking it up like the doctor himself, don’t get like a whiny child and drop your players. That’s how you lose bros. No one wants to lose bros. That’s what fantasy is, a bro’s game (that welcomes women if the masses ever decide to play).

Recaps

Giants vs. Bears

“Football is not my purpose, it is my platform”. The NFL fined Marshall for wearing lime green cleats in his Thursday night contest, and those words were his response to the penalty. Clearly he didn’t give an AF, because Marshall went out and balled like the high draft pick he is. I know a guy who looks like the Lakers guard Steve Blake, and every year he declares Marshall the league MVP. Marshall will never be a MVP candidate, but he is fun to watch.

Another fantasy Frankenstein has risen… Remember Eddie Royal back in the first fourth of the season? Well now Brandon Jacobs joins the list of players who have been shocked back to life in the world of fantasy relevance.  Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Talk about a blast from the past. As a Jay-Z fan (which automatically makes me a fan of New York city) I want the Giants to ride this 2007-2008 train! Bring back the man who has chirped Love Salsa before, the one and only Jeremy Shockey. Bring back everyone’s favorite WR gone bang in Plaxico Burress. Finally, though he has retired, we must not forget the man who paved the way for Victor Cruz, Steve Smith. Not Steve Smith of the Panthers, if you are confused google “Steve Smith Giants.” He had 107 catches in 2007 and was extremely fun to watch.

 Snap back to reality, where the Giants are 0-6, and Eminem just dropped his new single Rap God. Which is plain nasty by the way. I mean the man killed it. He referenced both DC comics and Marvel, rapped at supersonic speeds, and reassured everyone that he is still the best lyricist around.

 Fantasy Feeling: The Giants might start trading away some pieces of their team. The biggest name on the market is Hakeem Nicks. Owners of Nicks will naturally get excited for a possible move, but in reality, midseason trades rarely help the fantasy value of the player that is traded. The biggest beneficiary of a Nicks deal would be Rueben Randle. He will be a top 20 WR if Nicks is dealt.  I also think Brandon Jacobs is a nice start against the “We need Johnny Football” Vikings.

 Packers vs. Ravens

 Life is simply unfair due to the fact Randall Cobb is hurt. Last week, I could have traded away either Cobb or Brandon Marshall to another owner in my league. I traded Marshall, thus proving that I cannot predict the future. Cobb is out until week 15. The Packers are going to look different.  There is no doubt about it. Jordy Nelson stepped up with 113 yards receiving and a score, and the Packers had their third 100 yard rusher of the season as Eddie Lacy rushed for 120 yards. The Ravens, on the other hand,continued to frustrate owners, as Ray Rice was only able to rush for 34 yards.

 Fantasy Feeling:  List of RBs that I would trade to receive Eddie Lacy.

 Alfred Morris

Ray Rice

Trent Richardson

MJD

C.J Spiller

 If you can find an owner who still loves these bigger name backs and doesn’t think Lacy is legit, make the trade to acquire him. The injury to Randall Cobb isn’t going to stop opposing defenses from placing top priority on stopping the Packers passing attack.  It does mean that the Packers will run more, which is good news for Lacy. Also pick up Jarrett Boykin, remember the last time a slot WR for Green Bay got injured (Greg Jennings) Cobb took that opportunity and blossomed into one of the best WR in the league. I am not saying Boykin is going to be a star, but he’ll be a solid fantasy fill in.

 As for the Ravens, I think people should keep an eye on what Jacoby Jones does in the next two weeks. He could become an interesting wavier wire pick up. Also, I once owned CJ Spiller in multiple leagues, so Rice owners I feel your pain.

 Predications

 QB I BELIEVE in this week: Nick Foles- This Jon Heder look alike (If you don’t know who that is then I first cry for your childhood, then ask you that you google the name) is on track to start for the Eagles this week, and it could not be a better matchup for Foles. The Cowboys are ranked 30th in the league in pass defense, and Desean Jackson is on fire. Foles is going to light it up.

 WR I BELIEVE in this week: Justin Blackmon- This past Thursday, I put all of Eau Claire, Wis., and anyone who knows me on notice as I revealed to Eau Claire my Johnny Football jersey shirt. Similar to how Kendrick Lamar shocked the rap industry with his verse on Control, I have forced my friends to step their swag up due to the way my Manziel shirt rocked the game. This past Sunday, Blackmon took a page out of Kendrick and mines book by exploding for 14 catches for 190 yards.   Blackmon will be the top target once again for the Tebow-less Jags as Division 3 product Cecil Shorts III, or CS3, as I like to call him, is expected to be ruled out. CS3’s opponent is the Chargers this week, who rank 25th in the league versus the pass.

 HOLD UP, Hold my phone… I’m about to give you some trade advice.

 If I were a Blackmon owner I would highly consider trading him after this week, and here is why. After week seven, Blackmon’s next seven games look a bit greasy. He plays the 49ers, and then is on bye, then Tennessee, Arizona, Houston, Cleveland and Houston. All of those are tough matchups. Trade Blackmon now, his value is at a season high.

 RB I BELIEVE in this week: Lamar Miller- The situation is simple, if Miller doesn’t have a good game this week, then I will give up hope for him ever being a fantasy starter this season. Miller is a college track star that has proven he can be efficient with his carries as he is averaging 4.2 yards per rushing attempt this year. Miller is not the problem here. The problem is Miami’s play calling. Hopefully this week the Dolphins realize they are going up against the 28th ranked run defense, and let Miller produce this week.

 That’s all I wrote! Thank you for reading, and please check out the column next week, as I will be hosting the first annual midseason El Will awards. You won’t want to miss it because for the first time all year I am promising you that next week’s column will be quite humdrum… Good luck in Week 7. Best wishes.