Every fantasy owner has agonized over “Monday Night Football.” With Robert Griffin III in action, this week proved no different.

Enter Monday night fantasy angst.

After the full slate of Sunday games, you lead in your fantasy matchup by 16 points. This lead is usually large enough to feel comfortable. “His running back won’t top 100 yards,” you tell yourself. “His kicker will get 10 points, tops,” you believe. And more often than not, you’re right. You breathe easy and relax on your couch. You eat a big meal and fall asleep with a smile. Your dreams are pleasant. Life is good.

But those nights don’t include RGIII. He’s a different animal. When you’re facing RGIII, as opposed to some buster running back, you still sleep, but not well and not with a smile. The dreams turn into nightmares. This sleep isn’t brought on by confidence. It’s brought on by surrender, and in your mind, the loss has already been chalked up.

“Well, at least there won’t be any stress tonight,” you tell yourself. Still, you watch. Maybe it’s the background noise while you’re eating dinner or a separate window open on your laptop while you do homework, but in some fashion you watch the game. 

Through one quarter, Griffin only has 100 yards passing. You notice his lack of production and perk up. Through halftime, Griffin improves his statline to 150 yards, but he is still without a touchdown or any significant yardage on the ground. You perk up a bit more. At the end of the third, Griffin has 160 yards and no touchdowns. 

Now your attention has spiked. Is this possible? Is this happening?

The fourth quarter is heart-wrenching, as RGIII’s numbers inch closer and closer to that terrible 15-point mark. He scrambles and completes short passes. You scream. He takes a costly sack and overthrows an open receiver. You keep screaming.

Finally, it comes down to one final drive. Griffin and the Redskins have a one-score lead and the ball with under two minutes remaining. A first down would end the game, but either two yards rushing or five yards passing from Griffin would give you the loss. The drive means nothing in the NFL world, as this game essentially ended the second the Redskins regained possession. But in the fantasy world, this drive will go down in epic lore, marking triumphant victory or a grand defeat. Oh, the agony.

On first down, Griffin drops back and … hands off to Alfred Morris for 3 yards. Deep breath.

On second down, Griffin drops back and … again, hands off to Morris for 3 yards. You can’t help but pace about the room with your hands over your face. The next down could play out in a number of ways. A first down ends the game, but anything less than a 4-yard gain means the Redskins would have to punt and risk a chance of losing the game. A handoff to Morris might not get the yardage. The chance of a Griffin pass begins to seem more likely.

Third down. Griffin breaks the huddle and crouches under center. “It’s over,” you concede. “He’s passing here, and it’s over. I lose. I can’t look. I won’t look.” You look. He takes the snap, drops back and …

Hands the ball off to Morris, who breaks a tackle and lunges forward for five yards and a first down. Game over. Redskins win. You win. Let the high-fives ensue.

And herein lies the real value of fantasy football. You couldn’t care less about Washington, yet when the clock hits zeroes, you celebrate with more joy than any Redskin fanatic. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Now let’s keep this fantasy train rolling with a few waiver wire pickups for this week.

Russell Wilson (quarterback, Seahawks, 17.8 percent owned in ESPN leagues) — Playing the most prominent position in the most popular sports league, fans should know a thing or two about Wilson by now. But his performance Sunday against the Bears was astonishing to say the least. He broke away from mediocrity and was masterful, torching the Bears on two consecutive drives to pick up an overtime win. Successful NFL quarterbacks do two things — convert on third down and convert in the red zone — and Wilson thrived in both of those categories on his way to the best statistical game of his career. Third-down and red zone conversions equal yards and touchdowns. If Wilson continues this successful style of play, the fantasy points will pile up.

Dallas Clark (tight end, Buccaneers, 5.2 percent) — No, Clark is no longer teamed up with Peyton Manning, for if he were, he’d be a fantasy stud every week. But even at his new home in Tampa Bay, the scores are still coming — three touchdowns in his last four weeks. He is nowhere near elite anymore, but he’s still serviceable. Take a look at Clark if you’re reeling at the tight end position.

Donnie Avery (wide receiver, Colts, 8.4 percent) — Avery and the Indianapolis Andrew Lucks are rolling, winning six of their last seven games, including a last-second miracle win over the Lions last Sunday. Playing for head coach Chuck Pagano as he battles cancer, the Lucks can’t lose. Avery got into the mix last week with 91 yards and two touchdowns. It was his best game of the year by far, so take that stat line with a grain of salt. But with a hot team and Luck at the helm, perhaps this was only the beginning for Avery. He’s a player to keep your eye on moving forward.

Jack is a senior in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JCassidy10.