According to Wikipedia, an estimated 18 million people adjust their line-ups week-to-week during the NFL regular season in a little game called fantasy football.
That’s a lot of people who may be looking for entertainment elsewhere if the NFL Lockout indeed sticks.
However, let’s make a realistic prediction and say the owners and players association figures something out and NFL football is actually played at some-point in the fall.
The next step is to think how the current lockout affects your fantasy football league now and when the lockout is lifted.
By: Nick Grays
First and foremost, the lockout is not helping people think about the tremendously-important fantasy draft. Everyone knows you can’t win your league if you don’t draft well.
Here are a few concerns entering the summer when so-called fantasy experts and fantasy gurus plan to rank players.
– Since the lockout forbids teams from talking to other teams about trades or looking at possible free agents, we have no idea where some of the league’s best players will be next season. This could be quite frustrating if you really like players like WR Santonio Holmes, WR Sidney Rice or RB DeAngelo Williams.
– Remember the 2011 NFL Draft we just witnessed, where exactly will this rookie class fit in regards to fantasy? We have no idea because they are missing valuable practice time during the lockout. Debating whether RB Mark Ingram (Saints), RB Mikel Leshoure (Lions) or WR A.J. Green (Bengals) fits on your fantasy squad could be quite the quandary.
– With the lockout continuing to loom over the NFL like a black cloud, it also brings up the question of when we can have our fantasy drafts. It would be ideal to have them after the lockout has been lifted, but if not, there will be a lot of players in limbo that could make fantasy free agency a nightmare.
Wouldn’t it be simple if the fantasy draft was the only aspect affected by the NFL lockout?
The truth is that fantasy football in 2011 will be an entirely different monster which will require new strategies and modes of thinking. Some will take it on as a challenge, while others will fall under the pressure of the new complexity.
As a huge fantasy enthusiast, all I can say is that I can’t wait for the lockout to be ended, so we can get on with the NFL off-season and move one step closer to a new season of fantasy football!
What do you think of the NFL lockout in regards to fantasy football? Are you welcome to the new challenge or am I being a little too dramatic? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.