Fantasy football managers with Antonio Brown on their team felt confident heading into Week 17. After all, the Buccaneers played the Jets and Brown was set for more goals than usual with Chris Godwin (ACL was dropped. eliminated from the season). He looks like a safe pick who will deliver the high scoring lineup during championship week.
Well, that doesn’t quite suit those who possess imagination. In fact, Brown’s mid-match crisis left many with a chance to win the title and immediately became the center of conversation over the next two days.
Brown played less than three-quarters for the Buccaneers before rushing off the field after a challenge with coach Bruce Arians. Brown ripped off his uniform, pads and bras on his way into the locker room and brought his shirt and gloves into the stands. He jumped up and down at the end area to inflate the crowd of Jets before flashing a peace sign and leaving.
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That was the last time those who possessed the imagination saw Brown during the game. He never returned to the field and Arians stated that Brown was “no longer Buc” following the team’s 28-24 win over the Jets.
Brown finished the day with three catches from 26 yards, a day less than imagined by any metric. Making matters worse, the Buccaneers are late and have to throw a lot, so Brown will have a chance to improve his overall score. Instead, Cyril Grayson and Tyler Johnson teamed up for 10 catches, 133 yards and a touchdown in increased roles.
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Naturally, the fantasy owners were swayed by Brown’s last attempt. Plenty of fans took to Twitter to express their outrage at Brown’s performance and how much it cost them to get a fantasy title.
The fact that I played Antonio Brown instead of Ja’marr Chase this week in my fantasy final, and that’s why I lost, will haunt me to the day I die.
– Novo (@SethNovotny) January 4, 2022
Played in my fantasy soccer championship yesterday. My opponent has been chasing the most imaginary scorer by any player in one game all season. I had Antonio Brown, who took off his clothes and retired in the middle of the game. Dead until 2022
– Austin (@ajleibo) January 3, 2022
So Jaylen Waddle had 1 point and now Antonio Brown has a mental breakdown and leaves the field naked…. This is how I lost my fantasy championship? Honestly, it fits very well. pic.twitter.com/M5ENjzDMrO
– josh (@8INAROWx) January 2, 2022
Well, I’m joking for starting Antonio Brown in the fantasy championship, he just undressed and ran off the field in the middle of a Buccaneers attack pic.twitter.com/xFtgMIBj6j
– Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) January 2, 2022
Such is the life of a fantasy football boss. Each week, there are brutal starting decisions that managers have to make. Make the wrong choice – like the player who started Brown before Ja’Marr Chase – and it can completely engulf your team.
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If you are one of the unlucky players to start Brown, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s hard to predict weekly fantasy soccer results. It’s all the more difficult when you see a player in a good game tear his clothes and run away from his team in the third round. No one could see it coming.
