Kramer v/s Kramer

The first week of Fantasy Football is always interesting. It is where you kind of get an idea whether you have drafted well or made irreversible boo-boos. Well as far as the NJ Rookies are concerned, there are storylines within storylines. That is what makes the first week more freakin fun ...

Some of the match-ups to look forward to!

1) Husband v/s Wife (NJ v/s MJ)
As if there aren't enough complications already, imagine going up against someone who has bet your child's nickname in a game of fantasy football. That is what we will get when the always smart-n-savvy Niral Jhaveri takes on arguably the best drafted team this year! It will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Although ESPN predicts Meghna as the winner, history shows that you can never really count out the commish. Either Niral loses in the first week, or he becomes the reason why his wife got off to a bad start this season as well ... either ways Niral, you lose!

2) Finalist v/s Finalist
For Saumil & Prashant, this year starts exactly as the last year ended ... playing each other. Saumil, no doubt, does not have the services of a certain running back from Philly. He is still hoping it does not get in the way of his habit of winning against Prashant. Prashant on the other hand would be glad that he has gotten his chance to exact his revenge in the first game of the season. ESPN analysts are going with the safe pick on this one predicting a win for the Champion of 2008. The year has changed ... let's see if the fortunes have too!

3) Kothari v/s Kothari
Fantasy Football does seem to be cruel ... pitting husband against wife and now brother against sister. The rookie Kothari takes on the sleeper Kothari. Because Ali had a decent first half of the season last year without having to ever log in and change his team, it seems as though he is relying on the same tactic this year too. (I might be proved wrong on this one ... we'll wait and see) Shirin's first test comes against someone every little sister dreams of emulating and beating. After suffering through all the dadagiri at the hands of her elder brother, will Shirin be able to beat him out in her very first game and thus have something to brag about for the rest of her life? If I were Shirin and I won, I'd take every chance to remind Ali of that! ... If I am Shirin's mom, I am very nervous right now. I am just hoping that the two of them keep it clean and no one gets hurt!

4) Rookie v/s Rookies
Aaah! Here is a fun, no pressure battle. Both teams are managed by Rookies and no matter who wins or loses, it will be an enriching experience for both. Devashree will take on the first of her 13 CHORS this weekend while Shilpi & Jimit will have a chance to work on their dynamics together as a team without worrying about having to play an established player this week. Jimit - Here is a clue ... if you ever are at disagreements with Shilpi about who to drop and who to pick, just wait until after 11 pm. She'll be fast asleep by then anyways! Devashree. I will miss you calling people CHOR 100 times during your first sunday of fantasy madness. ESPN analysts predict a win for the Naik ... sigghhh everyone loves a hero!

5) Unexpected Winner v/s Unexpected Loser
Exactly a year earlier, people raved about Darshini's team. It was the best draft ever! Valmik was a rookie ... unsure of exactly what was going on. It seemed to be a no brainer who would come out on top in this contest! What ensued was a perfect example of why games arent played on paper! Darshini scored only 27 points and basically found out what a wretched year she was going to have ahead. Valmik rocked the house with the most points scored and went on to the postseason in his rookie year. ESPN analysts have retained their trust in Darshini even after the drubbing of last year. Let us see if Valmik proves them and everyone else wrong two years in a row.

6) Vishal v/s Murtaza
After all the excitement surrounding the other 5 matchups, does anyone really care about this one, except Vishal & Murtaza?
I thought so.

All the best everyone!