The part about fantasy football that is either the most

Fantasy Football Forum - Week 3: Backfield Issues  fun or the most perplexing is the volatility from year to year. We examine everything we possibly can from the summer. We wade through all the “this player is in the best shape of their lifea running back. Christian McCaffrey, Chris Thompson, Barkley, Alvin Kamara, and Melvin Gordon already have at least 15 grabs. If you’re in a PPR league or even a 0.5 PPR league, this is a huge boon to these type of backs. Four of those five listed were premium picks - but Thompson could be found late in drafts. Who are some other names to think about that might be on the wire?Theo Riddick of the Lions has 14 catches already and if the Lions first two games are any indication, he should have a significant role going forward.James White of the Patriots is not much of a factor in the run game and if Sony Michel can hit his stride, White could see his passing game role limited further. Still, he’s worth a desperation play when you need it - particularly if you think the Patriots will be trailing.Javorius Allen of the Ravens has been cutting into Alex Collins’ role in that offense to the point of challenging for most valuable back in that offense. Not my favorite offense to get a piece of but worth a look in games where you believe the Ravens will trail. Austin Ekeler of the Chargers is getting to the point where he’s not just a must-own handcuff for Melvin Gordon owners but useful in his own right. Part of the target share increase for running backs on this team may be due to the absence of Hunter Henry, and it’s a good offense to get a piece of if you still can.The last name I’ll mention is Phillip Lindsay. I seem to have a tortured relationship with the Broncos backfield as for years I would roster the wrong back. I picked up one share of Lindsay after his impressive debut and he’ll start for that fake team this weekend. I caught the end of the Broncos / Raiders tilt and Lindsay looked more impressive than fellow rookie Royce Freeman. Lindsay has earned 6 more carries than Freeman but is clearly the preferred back in the passing game. The Broncos say they are going to continue to riden owner. Your turn - what are you grappling with this weekend? Anyone have any fun trades that they’ve executed that they’d like to share with the class? The Bears defense is currently first in Football Outsiders DVOA. They’re first in total yards allowed in the NFL. They have football’s first-ranked rushing defense, and are eighth-best against the pass. Only the Browns have forced more takeaways with 15 to the Bears’ 11. No one has forced more three-and-outs than Chicago. This is firmly, at least based on a four-game sample size, pro football’s best defense. None of that matters to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. On Thursday at Halas Hall, reporters asked Fangio what he thinks of the Bears’ current defense, and whether he ebbs and flows with the team’s successes and failures. Knowing how the old school 60-year-old normally thinks in regards to his players and roster, the answers should have been predictable. “No,” said Fangio on whether he gets joy derived from the regular year. “It sounds like you guys already knew the answer to that,” as the press room laughed.Fangio has been around the NFL too long to let himself get caught up in the roller coaster emotions of a season on a week-to-week basis. If he did that, his NFL coaching career of over a quarter century with the Saints Womens Eric Kush Jersey , Panthers, Colts, Texans, Ravens, 49ers, and now Bears wouldn’t nearly have lasted as long. It’s an even-keeled demeanor that’s served the veteran coach well. “I truly am a one-game-at-a-time guy,” Fangio continued. “I don’t get over-excited, over-anxious to play a division opponent, a conference opponent over an AFC opponent because I think they all count the same.”“The first order of business is your record. I think people sometimes lose sight of that. These games that you play, they all count the same.”It’s through looking at every matchup through the same prism that Fangio has become one of the NFL’s most highly-regarded defensive coordinators. It’s through a mentality of never being satisfied that he’s garnered any success, as striking as it may to be some on the outside. Even getting a nice winning streak going doesn’t get the juices flowing as much as falling in defeat. “I wish I did. Trust me Youth Tarik Cohen Jersey ,” said Fangio about his lack of thrills in winning consecutive games. “The pain of losing does not equal the excitement of winning.”The only way Fangio would likely ever be truly satisfied with the Bears and how his defense is playing, is if they won the Super Bowl. In light of that scenario, it’s fair to wonder if Fangio would actually finally put his feet up and relax. Of whether he’d do something like light a cigar and perhaps ... smile. A solid hunch says that Fangio would be more likely to continue working on preparations for next season, rather than revel in a title completely. The great ones all have their own strange but unique routines, after all. A routine of never being satisfied. Robert is the Editor-in-chief of The Blitz Network (subscribe here!), the managing editor of Windy City Gridiron, and writes for a host of other fine publications. You can follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski.