Fantasy football is simply a game of chess, with the pieces represented by players of varying positions. If your queen met her demise, as in one of your top picks succumbed to injury, the task of pushing for a checkmate will be daunting. Chess is the most beautiful game, an artful display of multilevel planning and resilience to momentum-buckling change.

There are three weeks until the fantasy playoffs. Are you three moves ahead of your opponent? The ability to use tact is lost on a good many gamers, leaving their path to victory to chance.

Chess is finite; there are rules that do not bend. Where these two games of strategy diverge is with the element of luck. There is no such thing as a lucky checkmate. In warfare, there is a winning side and a dead one. Fantasy football values all the same trappings of strategic manipulation, but the unpredictable bounces of an oblong leather spheroid could turn an atheist to prayer. Any expectations for the remainder of the season that venture away from chaos and mayhem are simply folly and fable. The best we can do is arrange our pawns around our king and hope for fair weather.

The top storylines for fantasy football for this all-important Week 12 will let some sunshine peek through the clouds as we brace for the tempest on the horizon.

Pollard’s BBQ

Tony Pollard has been my favorite NFL player since the Dallas Cowboys drafted him out of Memphis. His family owns Pollard’s BBQ in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the most popular joints in the wood-smoked meat Mecca. His folks and I have chatted plenty over the years, sharing mutual appreciation for Tony’s footballing and the wonderful world of sauce and seasonings. I have screamed from the mountaintops for nearly four years about the inevitable breakout that would result from Tony Pollard handling a starting workload for the Cowboys.

Four weeks as an RB1, including three in a row, and landing as the RB1 in Week 11 has the whole league buzzing about the explosive RB. Pollard has already officially set a new career high in fantasy points and the healthy return of Ezekiel Elliott to the offense actually helps a player like Pollard immensely in the efficiency department. Jerry Jones will tell you that the Dallas Cowboys will go as Zeke goes, but the overriding truth is that Pollard’s rise to prominence is the spark that can finally end the franchise’s postseason rut.

Handsome and Handy?

Jimmy Garoppolo showed me something on Monday night that he had not shown in more than fleeting glances throughout his career. He threw accurate passes to receivers that were not his primary read. Jimmy G not only went through his progressions but decisively and precisely put his weapons in a position to do damage. This version of Garoppolo can be absolutely lethal when combined with one of the best arrays of skill talent the league has ever seen. Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel are each unimaginably difficult to keep tabs on. Brandon Aiyuk is a route-running technician with his own arsenal of YAC-chewing moves. George Kittle is an unstoppable monster at TE who needs to be unleashed into the route tree much more frequently. What the 49ers did to the Cardinals in Week 11 has every NFC team trembling in fear for a January playoff date with this behemoth.

Cougar Letdown

Zach Wilson should never have been the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Hindsight is definitely 20/20, but all the signs were there to indicate Joe Douglas’ grave error. The Jets are ahead of schedule on Douglas’ rebuild but now find themselves in a familiar “one QB away” situation with an otherwise stellar young roster. Wilson has been far and away the worst starting QB in the NFL this season, both by the numbers and on tape. If you ever want to see the most frustrating montage of wide-open receivers not getting the ball thrown to them accurately (or at all), watch the last three Jets games.

The jump from the Mountain West to the AFC East and the New York media crucible has engulfed Wilson and exposed his shortcomings since day one. HC Robert Saleh’s staunch posture of supportive coach speak has cracked. Wilson’s lack of composure and aloofness, combined with horrendous performance on the field, has the locker room slipping away. Starting NFL QB is an at-will position, and replacing Wilson with any other active player would seemingly set the team back on course as playoff contenders. Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore receive massive fantasy upgrades the moment the benching becomes official.

An Honor and a Privilege

Last Sunday night’s game between the Chargers and Chiefs was incredible. Two of the brightest young star QBs dueled it out in primetime, and the divisional clash came down to the final possession. For all of the bad football we have endured under the lights in 2022, Patrick Mahomes versus Justin Herbert was a delightful treat. Hell, any chance to watch Mahomes play a game is a blessing for football fans. We truly are in a golden age of QB play in the NFL, and I am relishing in the moment instead of waiting for the reverence in retrospect.

Every great QB throughout history has their complementary weapon of choice. Travis Kelce is the jelly to Mahomes’ peanut butter (with Andy Reid starring as the pillowy-soft white bread). The stud TE is the immersion blender that emulsifies coverage units into a smooth puree. Kelce is a marvel, dominating All-Pro DB Derwin James to the tune of over 100 yards and three touchdowns, including the dramatic game-winner. As stated in the heading, it is an honor and a privilege to witness the entire career arcs of Mahomes and Kelce, including their run at another Super Bowl this season. We truly still don’t fully appreciate how fortunate we all are. There is no such thing as a can’t-miss in fantasy football, but these two are millimeters away from it.