If taking the initiative were easy, plenty of us would be gliding through life on a constant ascent to achieve our dreams. Me, I’ve always romanticized retirement. For someone born to two entrepreneurial spirits without a lazy bone in their bodies, the leisure and freedom to slack off sure seemed like a life I’d rather lead.

It’s too bad I couldn’t see what was actually going on at the time. The grandpa, who I believed would sit in his easy chair and watch baseball all day, munching on microwave popcorn and drinking sweet tea. He also cooked meals and did the chores around the house before I walked home from school. He drove a lumber truck for more than 30 years before he got his gold watch.

His sacrifice, along with Grandma’s love and lessons in nurturing creativity, carved a momentous and indelible portrait for my sister and me while Mom and Dad worked long hours to keep the bills paid.

Slacking off is easy. It comes naturally to me. Where some struggle to start a task due to a lack of executive function, I just don’t want to do the task because it requires peeling myself from the warm cocoon of my dissociative state. Ironically, I’m not a procrastinator. I will begrudgingly do the task, still unable to shake the drive bestowed by my parents. I fight in this conflict every minute of every day.

Fantasy football in Week 8 presents a similar dilemma. Some rosters are still in the playoff hunt and will require a bit of prodding to make a hard push to give glory a chance. The really good teams must fight complacency in an ever-changing football landscape. You, as the manager, can sit back and sip tea but understand the job is far from completion. Make a scary trade this week. Don’t rest on the laurels of early success.

Grandpa didn’t coast, and neither should you. He was up watering his grass and tending his garden while the kids played hopscotch. That’s what winners do.

~ Check out our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings ~

Week 8 Fantasy Football: Sleds & Dummies

Slay, Queen City

Philadelphia is starting to show an ability to stay out of their own way on offense. By that, I mean Jalen Hurts is overcoming Nick Sirianni’s incompetent meddling from the start of the season. Saquon Barkley is the least surprising benefactor of an escape from New Jersey. The line is strong, while A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both healthy. A date with a weak Cincinnati defense should spell plenty of upside this week.

The Bengals have fully embraced the pass-heavy mindset that reflects their personnel. Joe Burrow is an ice-cold assassin with two elite receivers of his own. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins make this Zac Taylor system hum. One breakout player for Week 8 is running back Chase Brown. His ability to break big plays, especially in the passing game, adds a dimension the Eagles defense must account for.

Bleu Cheese Blues

The season Josh Allen is having has somehow flown under the radar. Five wins and zero interceptions through seven games is especially impressive for a quarterback whose name had previously been synonymous with risk-taking and turning the ball over. Allen has also weathered a life without an elite receiver on the outside, save for Amari Cooper’s debut last week. James Cook and Ray Davis form a strong jab and cross in the backfield. The receiving corps is nothing without Cooper and Khalil Shakir, as evidenced by their complete lack of success in Week 5 against Houston.

Seattle’s defense is well-coached, but they have their work cut out for them on Sunday. Their offense is also facing a tough Bills unit, but the weaponry is still adequate. Geno Smith has been outstanding this season, averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game. He has spread the ball around to his excellent trio of wide receivers and tight end Noah Fant.

Even the running backs have been well-deployed by Ryan Grubb. D.K. Metcalf’s sprained knee is an avenue to more production for Tyler Lockett and especially Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are the key to a Seahawks win against a porous Bills run defense. Walker very well could be the top performer of the week.

Clash of Burgeoning Empires

That murmur you hear is the sound of football fans praying to their deities to heal Jayden Daniels’ aching ribs. The top two picks have both impressed in their debut seasons and now square off on Sunday afternoon. The media wants you to believe in the quarterback matchup, but the real story is on the periphery. The two squads enter Week 8 with winning records, thanks to stronger-than-expected defense and successful systems and players installed around their young leaders.

Daniels is a fantasy dynamo, but Marcus Mariota looked great in his stead, too. Brian Robinson has been really solid, as have wily veterans Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. For the first time ever, Kliff Kingsbury has done a good job.

The Bears are still built around the running game. After a miserable start, Shane Waldron is finally rounding into decent form as a playcaller. The combination of D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson has favored Swift so far, but Johnson’s role has inherent value going forward. This receiving corps has gelled with Caleb Williams, though I expect more from Rome Odunze in the second half of the season. Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, along with Cole Kmet, have been reliable fantasy players and equally trustworthy targets for Williams. This game will be an opening bellow in a hopefully legendary rivalry.

Ancient Ruins from the Early 90s

I tried to warn all of you that the 49ers were done. Their championship window closed when Dre Greenlaw’s Achilles gave out on the Super Bowl field. The injuries are further piling, and the front office is holding an aging roster together with biodegradable strings ready to snap when Brock Purdy signs his earned contract extension.

Purdy is not a good enough player to carry our fantasy teams without his superstar entourage. Deebo Samuel is prepared to detach his nebulizer to play on Sunday night, while rookie Ricky Pearsall has to cauterize his gunshot wound and drag a tourniquet onto the field at Levi’s Stadium. The only guy I trust against Dallas is Jordan Mason, who might have to carry the ball a hundred times.

As for the Cowboys, they stink to high heaven. Bad coaching and toxic culture have infected America’s Team (that’s why they’re still America’s Team). The tissue-thin roster has been laid bare from injuries, much to the chagrin of clueless culprit Jerry Jones. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are the lifted truck and Bugatti parked in front of the rundown trailer with a fresh paint job. Jake Ferguson is the one guy I expect to do well on Sunday night. Bet the under and look for me on TV. This is a rivalry game for those of us stuck in 1994. Sorry in advance.

Find more spicy advice from Bo McBrayer on X (formerly Twitter) @Bo_McBigTime & up your kitchen pantry game with his custom spices and sauces at hotboxbatch.com.