NFL Pick 'Em Week 5: Playing Like a Girl

Week 5 went very well.  I narrowly lost in my college pick 'em this week but made up my lost point with very successful NFL picks.  I might even pick up another point if Chicago can pull out a win tonight too.  I wish I could say that there was an art to the whole fantasy football thing, but I'm pretty sure there's not.  That said, I've learned a few rules this year that have helped me venture into this male-dominated world of fantasy football.

These are the top 5 rules that I've learned to live by: 

1. All it takes is one lucky week.  That's right folks, in one miraculous week I managed to not only steal the lead, but to OWN the lead in our competition.  But I'm not planning my locker room celebration just yet.  A lot can happen in a little time.  So if you're losing, don't give up.  Time is your friend.
2.  It's ok to make your picks based on team mascots and colors.  Guys often accuse girls of picking teams based on their mascots and colors (or cute quarterbacks.)  And you know what?  I think it's ok to use whatever method you want to pick teams.  You still have a 50/50 chance that you're right.  And in my opinion, those aren't bad odds.
3.  A team that loses one week will sometimes play harder the next week.  Elite athletes don't like to feel like losers any more than the rest of us.  So if they lose one week, they're likely to play better the following week.  Especially if the loss was embarrassing.  (We've seen this phenomenon with Tony Romo.)  So just because a team is on a losing streak doesn't mean you should discount them completely. 
4.  Home field advantage is a true phenomenon.  Teams really do play better at home.  I don't know if it's because of the fans, the referees, or because they're able to sleep in their own beds, but players seem to have a different sort of energy when they play on their own field.  I'm of the opinion that teams are not likely to lose every home game of the year.  So when in doubt, or if you really can't decide who might win, pick the home team. (But stay away from the Colts this season.)
5.  There is no such thing as an expert.  Yahoo and ESPN both have their sports "experts" whose opinions they share in order to help you make your picks.  They pick their games every week and are supposed to have a superior level of football knowledge.  But I've learned that the experts' accuracy is about as poor as Texas meteorologists.  They might know a lot about football, but no one can predict what's actually going to happen on the field.  So unless the expert is also psychic, don't rely solely on their opinion when making your picks.     

Anyone (or man) who thinks that fantasy football requires hours of analysis and strategy is just wasting everybody's time.  I typically spend 15 minutes making my college and NFL picks every Wednesday afternoon.  And then they're done for the week.  By Saturday I usually have to get out my laptop to see who I picked on Wednesday and to start cheering for those teams.  Somehow, this low-stress, matter-of-fact approach has worked quite well.  So the next time you hear a man discussing/rehashing/bemoaning/complaining about/questioning his picks.  Tell him to get a life and play like a girl.