Week 4 Fantasy Rundown: The Botch

By Evan Stancil

Featured Contributor

Golden Tate - photo by Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate catches a 24-yard touchdown pass on the final play to defeat the Packers 14-12. (photo by Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE)

Welcome back to Week 4 of the joke that Roger Goodell and the rest of the NFL brass consider the greatest sport on earth. Let us begin with the Monday Night Football debauchery that occurred in Seattle with the Packers and Seahawks. I don’t know if I’ll ever see as crazy/bizarre call ever made at the end of an NFL game. Not only were there two officials signaling opposite calls – touchback and touchdown, but there was an official review that upheld the touchdown?!? I don’t need to bother recounting, but under NFL Rulebook: Rule, 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5:

If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control.

In wake of the uproar from the officiating debacle there are have been a slew of nicknames to associate with the Seahawks/Packers game. Some popular suggestions are: “The Inaccurate Reception,” “The Fail Mary,” “Senseless in Seattle” and “The Botch.” Personally, I like The Botch but I have one that I think will stick, it’s called the Simultaneous Seattle Job – as in the Packers were jobbed simultaneously by the replacements. In Seattle this has many fans in pure elation and considered karma for those who truly believe the fix was in with the refs during Super Bowl XL. I’ll be the one to tell you that even though the real officials and the NFL are no closer to the negotiating table at the moment this will only escalate as player safety is further jeopardized.

So while many point to this game as the reason to get back the Ed Hochuli’s of the NFL to the game, I would point to Sunday in Oakland where Darrius Hayward-Bey fell lifeless after being knocked out by a helmet to helmet hit from a Steelers’ defender that did not even draw a flag on the play. At this point it’s added leverage to the officials bargaining power, coming at the expense to NFL players and fans. If anyone with common sense would like to support the view point of the owners in this labor strike I welcome them to a negotiating duel. Seriously, I’ll take you to the cleaners. I’m practicing my ninja expert negotiator tactics in my spare time and would appreciate the final project proposal.

Fantasy Football Tip of Week

Don’t bench your studs. If anything proved more correct last week it was Larry Fitzgerald’s bust out performance against the Eagles. I learned a valuable lesson from benching Run DMC so heed the advice to stick with those studs (Round 1 or 2 picks) despite the matchups. Ride those studs, unless you consider Michael Turner or Stephen Jackson studs, then yes I would bench them. But don’t give up on Titan’s Chris Johnson for scraps quite yet. Don’t sell off or trade away key pieces that show promise. Instead this is the week to start putting out feelers to fantasy owners who are willing to part with players you seek in potential trades further down the line. Finding a deal to package 3 average players and a top tier one to get another talented position player where you most need it while freeing up waiver wire space is equally important.