For Whom The (Le’Veon) Bell Tolls

Arguably Ernest Hemingway’s finest work, For Whom The Bell Tolls chronicles the story of an explosives expert during the Spanish Civil War – Robert Jordan. Much of the story is set to the backdrop of Jordan and his fellow guerrilla’s who are tasked with blowing up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia. Throughout the novel, Hemingway paints with a literary brush, outlining overarching themes of death, suicide, and steadfast ideology.

Now here you are, reading a fantasy football article and here I am trying to bore you with an English lecture.

That is not exactly the case.

Hemingway’s story actually bares some striking resemblance to the Le’Veon Bell saga, upon further review, and it is far more than just giving me a catchy headline to use for my article.

Over the summer, the reality of Le’Veon Bell holding out for a new contract was all but guaranteed. He was going to hold out, as were the Steelers, and before the season opened someone would budge. Then rumblings began about how Bell wouldn’t be opposed to taking it into the preseason and beyond, which scared fantasy owners and Steelers fans alike, but even so, no one could imagine where this would eventually end up. Quickly during the holdout however, the stand by Bell began to evolve into an ideological battle between player and ownership, business vs. football, self vs. team.

Within the title of Hemingway’s work is the very phrase “For whom the bell tolls” which is taken from a 1624 poem by John Donne titled Devotions upon Emergent Occasions...

“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

What Donne writes is essentially that in the death of anyone, we are all affected because we are all of humankind. Hemingway uses it for his novel to describe the importance of the Spanish Civil War, in that while the war may only be occurring in Spain, the fight against fascism was a fight that affected all of mankind, not just Spaniards singularly.

As this holdout for Le’Veon Bell began to take on a more ideological form with stronger rhetoric regarding the relationship between player and sport, the more he knew that he was making a stand far larger than his individual self.

Throughout the novel, Hemingway shrouds his prose in overtones of death and suicide, showing the calculated and contemplated sacrifice that Robert Jordan and his men were making during their mission.

Le’Veon Bell is no different.

Bell, in his holdout knowingly sacrificed $14.5 million and a full season of his football prime, with still no guarantee of another contract next season. He willingly walked out on a Super Bowl contending team and came to terms with the reality that he would ruin the relationship with all of his teammates and the very organization that drafted him. Hemingway’s characters often speak of sacrifice and death for their cause in the literal sense, while Bell is doing the same but in the sense of career.

Here we are now and Bell will not play a single snap in the 2018 NFL season. So has been decreed after he missed his reporting deadline on Tuesday...

I suppose next offseason we will be able to tell for sure, but for now it is unclear who is winning the battle. Regardless, whether Bell gets his contract or not, he shed light onto this issue of collective bargaining. Does ownership have too much contractual power over the non-quarterbacks? Is the franchise tag egregious? How much guaranteed money is necessary in a contract for the physical abuse of an NFL season to be worth it to players? Is the long term physical deterioration worth the money that is currently available for non-quarterbacks?

One thing that I do know for sure is that “For whom the bell tolls” is a phrase that now pertains to this very fight and it includes all professional athletes. Whether they like him or not, what happened to Le’Veon Bell this season also happened to them...

“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

Week 10 Recap

In non-Le’Veon Bell news, there was actual football played across the NFL last week...

In terms of production at the running back position, Week 10 was a great one to behold. Five players eclipsed the 30 point plateau in Week 10, including the likes of David Johnson , who hadn’t done so since Christmas Eve of 2016. He led all backs in scoring last week with a whopping 37.3 PPR points. Other 30+ point scorers included Christian McCaffrey , Ezekiel Elliott , Nick Chubb , and Aaron Jones . This was not only Jones’ first career 30+ point game, but also the first time he eclipsed 20 in a game this season (he did so twice in 2017).  

Speaking of 20+ point scorers, last week, there were eight of them, which is double the amount that we saw in Week 9. Particularly impressive were the performances from Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy , who both proved to bounce back in big, yet different ways. For Fournette, this was his first complete and healthy game this season, leaving fantasy owners with wonder of what-could-have-been. For McCoy, he and his 30+ year old legs turned back the clock and appeared to be an elite back once again. For however fleeting this moment may have been for the veteran back, it was nice to see him score over 20 points for the first time this season and to have rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since Week 14 of 2017. Other names to score over 20 last week included Matt Breida and Melvin Gordon , both of whom I will mention again later on, Alvin Kamara , Mark Ingram , Todd Gurley , and Kerryon Johnson .

Other notable Week 10 performances include Derrick Henry , who scored twice on Sunday, which quietly gives him four touchdowns over his last three games, Rashaad Penny , who recorded his first 100+ yard game of his career, and Kareem Hunt , whose 11.6 points mark his lowest output since Week 1.

Who I Like in DFS This Week

It was a so-so showing for my DFS picks last week. On the one hand I gave you two great plays in Melvin Gordon and Matt Breida – who both scored over 27 PPR points – however on the other Kareem Hunt and Jordan Howard disappointed greatly, both registering less than 12 PPR points. Below we will look towards Week 11 on DraftKings, where I will include locks of the week, an underrated flex play, and a guy to use in contests that don’t just include the Sunday main slate.

Locks of the Week

Truth be told, I really love a lot of the elite running back options this week, as there are so many with great matchups. Guys who didn’t make the cut for my “Locks of the Week” include the likes of Melvin Gordon vs Denver, Christian McCaffrey at Detroit, Alvin Kamara vs. Philly, and Kareem Hunt at Los Angeles. While each back is absolutely capable of a big game and is in a more than favorable matchup, I had to narrow it down to my two favorite of the week...

Todd Gurley vs. KC ($9,600)

His production so far this season alone should be enough to justify my listing of Gurley as a “Lock of the Week” however his matchup may be even juicier than his already historic season of fantasy production. Currently, according to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs rank dead last in the NFL in run defense efficiency and have a tackling efficiency rating well below 60. They have allowed the seventh most rushing to opponents this season, while they are allowing an average of over 5.1 yards per carry, which is second worst in the NFL. This game was originally at a neutral site in Mexico City, but since it has been moved back to Los Angeles, making it a home game for Gurley and the Rams. He should run wild on Monday night.

Ezekiel Elliott @ ATL ($8,500)

Watching in primetime last Sunday night, I think we all saw what Zeke is capable of against even the most intimidating defensive front sevens. This week he gets the Falcons – albeit on the road – who sport the league’s third worst rush defense and fourth worst tackling defense, according to Pro Football Focus. They also are tied for worst in the NFL in terms of yards per carry allowed at a whopping 5.2 YPC! Zeke will eat this Sunday. 

Flex Flyer

Alex Collins vs. CIN ($4,400)

In terms of teams not on byes this week, the Bengals have allowed the most rushing yards in the NFL this season. They are allowing over 5.0 yards per carry, and according to Pro Football Focus, they sport the league’s third worst tackling defense. While the Ravens haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire offensively of late, they desperately need this game to keep their season alive and potentially their coach’s job. The Ravens are home – where they play as a much different team – and Alex Collins is their leading rusher. At $4,400 Collins seems like a mispriced feature back against the worst rush defense on the slate. Take the bargain and run!

Non-Main Slate Sleeper

Chris Carson vs. GB ($4,400)

After their breakout performances last week, everyone is going to be on Aaron Jones and Rashaad Penny in this matchup. Despite his absence last week, let us not quickly forget that Chris Carson had been the Seahawks best running back all season long. He’s a full participant in practice this week and will reportedly be ready for Thursday. I like him at home to return to lead back duties and play well in a fairly favorable matchup against the Packers. $4,400 is a steal on the non-main slates considering guys like Gurley, Hunt, Jones, and Dalvin Cook are all playing either on Thursday night, Sunday night, or Monday night.