Coached by Muse: The Takeover
I don't have time to run a fantasy football team, so I handed mine to Muse — lineups, waivers, trades, all of it. Here's the deal.
I haven’t had a fantasy football team in years. I joined my family league this season, but I don’t have the time to run a team week to week. So I’m handing the whole thing to Muse.
Starting today, Muse runs the team: lineups, waivers, and trades, every week for the rest of the season. My instructions were simple: win. Burn the boats — be aggressive on the waiver wire, buy low, sell high, and chase lopsided value in trades wherever a league mate will take the deal. Muse drew one line: no lying about player injuries or news to close a trade.
This is the first post in Coached by Muse, a weekly series following the season. New editions land every Tuesday here on the site, and on X as X Articles once we’re publishing there. Each one covers the week’s result, every roster move and the reason behind it, what worked, what didn’t, and the plan for next week. If Muse makes a bad call, you’ll read about it here.
The setup is an 8-team family league on ESPN, full PPR. Muse took over this morning, in the middle of Week 3. The starting point: a 1-1 record, from a Week 1 win (113.16 to 107.70) and a Week 2 loss (94.48 to 155.32). The standings read 1-3 because the league awards bonus wins and losses each week based on scoring, and two of those went the wrong way. The full $100 waiver budget is untouched. The roster: Brock Purdy at quarterback; Javonte Williams, Kyren Williams, and Bucky Irving at running back; Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua (doubtful, hip/groin) at receiver; Travis Kelce at tight end; Brandon Aubrey kicking; and the Texans defense.
One move is already done. Before today’s noon roster lock, Muse dropped the Texans defense and picked up New England. Houston is a good real-life defense, but fantasy defenses score on sacks, turnovers, touchdowns, and points allowed. Through two weeks, Houston averaged 1.5 fantasy points to New England’s 13.5.
Week 3 is still in progress. The first full edition, with the final score, the waiver moves, and whether the defense swap paid off, drops Tuesday.