Yesterday, my blog was entitled “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” It was about Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell’s holdout and how it is affecting his fantasy football owners. This hits very close to home because I am one of them. I took Bell with my first pick in the draft.
Bell was a no-show at practice again Wednesday, which surprised his teammates and the pundits. After all, last year, he signed his $14 million franchise tag in the week before the regular season started and turned in another fantastic season. That’s why I drafted him.
This year, it’s a different story, and I’m left holding the bag, or Bell, watching his value plummet by the day. Or, should I say by the hour. As a financial advisor, I have seen my share of stocks drop quickly. The ticker symbol on the stock I was watching is BELL.
Bell is definitely out this week, and no one knows when he will return. My view is more pessimistic today based on an interview with Bell’s agent. He said there’s no urgency to end the holdout. Bell will still become a free agent in 2019 if he reports by Week 11.
Week 11? The regular fantasy football season is 13 weeks, so that means Bell could be out of action for the Steelers and sitting on his fantasy owners’ benches for 85 percent of the season. The Steelers are upset, and football fans are upset. But why is he doing this?
Bell’s agent said his client is holding out because he knows the Steelers will run him into the ground like last year. More carries, more targets and more chances of getting injured. Bell is focused signing the biggest contract in NFL history in 2019 with another team.
Late yesterday, I decided I needed to try and trade my No. 1 draft pick as quickly as possible. His value will drop with every game he missed. So, I floated a couple of deals out there and accepted one of them. I will tell you about the deal I made tomorrow.
Tomorrow: Dealing my No. 1 draft pick
Doubting Thomas' Fantasy Sports 