Just this week I started taking a Professional Development class that specifically deals with handling “secondary traumatic stress disorder” or STSD, or “vicarious trauma.” The idea here is that as a person that deals with people that have had traumatic things happen to them some of that stress is imprinted upon the psyche of the helper and they start to exhibit a similar behavioral change as those that they have helped. The teachings started off with the story of the poor over-stressed counselor hiking on a Caribbean island (super sad) approaching a cliff and wondering aloud how many people jumped off that cliff. It then explains that this is not standard behavior and that most should just think “oh, pretty cliff.”

So that got me thinking about the vicarious trauma I have experienced through fantasy football, and it led me to the reasons that I just spent $11 FAAB on Josh Gordon. Back in 2013 I traded Josh Gordon for Jared Cook (then of the Rams? I think), and ever since then I have chased after his next big season. Ever since then I’ve been prepared for all my players to randomly be suspended due to drinking/drug use. Ever since then I’ve won a championship three times. But I’ve never once felt that feeling of having Josh Gordon on my 2013 roster.

What is the point of all this? Well, the real point is that JOSH GORDON IS BACK BABY. He may have went to the worst team in the AFC West (both in record and in reality), but he’ll learn how to avoid suspension from Tyreek and he has the best hands on that team. League beware.

Champion Records After 3 Weeks

As we established last week, we had no championship team that started off 0-2. That would mean there are no championship teams that started off 0-3. Without ties (and there were none, so no worries) that leaves us with three possibilities: 3-0, 2-1, and 1-2. The cool thing about 9 is it is dividable by 3.

So this is what all that data came to? An exact picture of balance and equivalence that gives us absolutely zero good data. That’s no fun. What is fun is that anyone has an equal chance of winning right now (that is not Val or D-Smith). Val or D-Smith are the two that need to overcome strong odds against them, and if I were them (spoilers: I’m not) I would be making moves and trades to get better rosters. But that’s me. From this point forward it’s like a new season.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Best Manager

Alex of the Football Cream :/. Only missed out on a possible 3.9 points.

Worst Manager

Yuriy of the Goo Backs, losing a whopping 40.2 points from his starting lineup. He still won, but what could have been.

Biggest Blowout

The 5 Yard Fullers beat the Wubba Lubba Andrews by 49 points with a score of 146.24 to 97.24. So if Pender had played no WRs this week, exact same players but the WRs are on the bench, he still would have beat you. Think about that, with all 4 WRs he played, and a few scored okay, he just didn’t need to. This particular week just seemed rough for Andrew with Higgins and Diontae out. Maybe that turns around a bit later.

Narrow Victory

Football Cream squirms his way past Colt 49’s in a relatively low scoring affair, 130.48 to 128.2. Before saying anything, I’d like both of you to watch this play.

Oh what could have been. Instead of having Alex with a 3-0 record he could be 2-1 like the rest of us. Well like some of us. Anyway, what could have been isn’t as important as what was. Alex’ team didn’t do that well outside of Tom Brady, Aaron Jones, and Chase, this was Ory’s shot at proving season dominance and he couldn’t do it. Ory, Daniel, I hope that you learn what you did wrong (after this week).