Robert Meachem Touchdown Touches Off Frenzied Fantasy Hair-Splitting

And you thought Bill Belichicks 4th and 2 play call would lead to the most protracted and torturous football debates of the 2009 season. Only if you were referring to the tangible game being played on the field. Pfft. Like fans even care how the final scores of those contests play out anymore. They just want to know how rulings will affect their fantasy leagues.To recap: At the end of the 2nd quarter of yesterdays Saints-Redskins game, Kareem Moore intercepted Drew Brees, eluded a few tacklers and then tried to run up the left sideline, where he was grabbed by Saints receiver Robert Meachem, who then proceeded to relieve him of all his worldly possessions, including the football, and race into the end zone for a tying score.

Awesome play? Most definitely. And despite a questionable review to judge whether Moore had intercepted the ball in the first place, it was held up as a touchdown. More importantly to the fantasy ownership circles, how would the play be scored for their purposes? A Saints defensive touchdown, as the possession had changed hands to Washington and what Meachem did technically was a defensive maneuver. But then Meachem is also an offensive skill player who didn’t come into the play as a member of the defense. Surely he should be credited as such. Luckily, there is precedent and some leagues (but obviously not all) have a policy in place to cover such matters.

⇥Since neither the defensive team nor the special team was on the field during the fumble, neither get credit for it. Instead, it goes down as an offensive fumble return TD for [Randy] McMichael (Editor’s note: The link above features a scenario involving Randy McMichael). ⇥⇥⇥EXAMPLE: In week 5 of 2003, Michael Doss of Indianapolis intercepted a pass from Brad Johnson of Tampa Bay. Doss then fumbled the ball, and Keenan McCardell of Tampa Bay picked up the fumble and returned it 57 yards for a TD. We score the play as a 57-yard offensive fumble return TD for McCardell. To further clarify, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began the play on offense. After the interception, according to NFL rules, the defense becomes the offense and vice versa. This is what causes the confusion. But if you really take that logic to its conclusion, it would stand to reason that there could never be a defensive TD, since once a defensive teams intercepts a pass, by NFL rules it has become the offense. Additionally, let’s take that interpretation and reapply it to when McCardell gained possession of the ball - he was back on offense again. There is no scenario where McCardell’s TD can be credited to the Bucs defense.⇥⇥

Sounds definitive to me. But that’s the thing with fantasy football. Things like these can be left to the whims of individual commissioners. And I imagine there will be a bit of wrangling going on amongst other members of their league should they come down differently on this ruling.

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