All's fair in fantasy football

Fantasy football doesn’t get any more intense than this: husband vs. wife for a spot in the playoffs.

That’s the drama that will unfold starting Thursday night within the Krueger-Steele household. Paula’s “Intergalactic Hussie” team and my “Disgruntled Goat” — both “Simpsons” references — are part of a four-way tie for second place, and only the top four go to the playoffs. So the scenario is not unlike those that real football teams will face in the next few weeks. Win and you’re in, lose and you’ll need help.

What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that, as far as couples go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more competitive than us. Whether I’m dominating (basketball, tennis) or she’s making me look stupid (swimming, board games) or we’re evenly matched (Wii games, air hockey), there’s always plenty of trash talking and taunting.
Luckily, our fantasy football league is not the No Fun League. Referees don’t have enough flags for the amount of unsportsmanlike behavior we exhibit on a regular basis.

So, as we pore over our rosters all week, things are likely to get heated.

Since Paula already beat me earlier in the year, I’ll never hear the end of it if she sweeps the season series and keeps me out of the playoffs in the process. Similarly, I won’t let her live it down if, at her expense, I notch my seventh win in the last eight games and go to the Final Four without her.

Let the games begin.