Fantasy Football Flashback: Dream Season Ends in a Nightmare

Fantasy football can be a cruel game even to the most dominating of lineups.

Every single fantasy football manager has a sob story of how they made the wrong choice for their lineup which resulted in a heartbreaking loss. The biggest low point of my fantasy football career came two years ago in the championship round.

Ready to cap off a dream season on Christmas Day, I just needed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to reach a pedestrian point total in his Monday night matchup. But the Baltimore Ravens defense had other plans.

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The Situation

Even a below average day from Purdy would have resulted in a championship celebration for one of the best teams I've ever assembled. During the 2023 NFL season, I steamrolled the competition of my eight-team high school league, going 12-2 during the regular season.

My team had no problems in the semifinals and advance to the finals for the third time in four years. But with one more victory, I would win my first title in the league since 2015.

The scoreboard was looking great entering the final matchup of Week 16 -- Ravens at 49ers. I trailed by about eight points but had Purdy remaining in the lineup.

Through the first 15 weeks, Purdy averaged almost 17 fantasy points per contest in our league.

The Outcome

Purdy had the yardage needed after three quarters to give me the fantasy championship. However, Purdy couldn't stop throwing interceptions.

Through the first three quarters, he had four picks. Those interceptions wiped out almost every fantasy point he earned in yardage.

Still, I clung to hope that Purdy could either throw or run for a garbage time touchdown to give me one last chance at a championship to end a dream season. Purdy, though, didn't finish the game.

Backup Sam Darnold replaced Purdy, who suffered a stinger during the fourth quarter. While Darnold also threw an interception in relief of Purdy, he also had a touchdown.

Darnold's 81 passing yards, nine rushing yards and a passing touchdown, even with the interception, meant he scored 8.14 fantasy points -- enough to award me the fantasy championship.

But Darnold was on my bench -- just insurance in case Purdy suffered an injury during warmups before the final game of the week. Meanwhile, Purdy finished with 2.4 fantasy points, which was about 5.5 points shy for me to secure victory. But if I was playing on Renegade Fantasy-the only fantasy football APP that lets managers sub in players from their bench to their starting lineup in real time, I could have avoided this Purdy disaster, subbed in Darnold, and won my league!

Crazily, I would have won the fantasy title, capping off a terrific season, had I started the quarterback the 49ers didn't have in their starting lineup for the Monday night game.