Tom Brady will still make his 2008 salary. The Patriots will still sell out. So who's the most hurt in the most immediate future by the New England Patriots quarterback and his potential season ending knee injury? Average Joes, who happened to draft Brady in their fantasy football league this year.
Brady's loss to those fantasy owners could shift about $150 million in fantasy league winnings from those who had Brady to those that didn't, according to Jeff Thomas, CEO of SportsBuff.com, a fantasy sports site.
Here's how the math is done.
Brady's incredible year last year, which included a record 50 touchdown passes, meant that about 50 percent of the people who drafted Brady last year won their leagues, Thomas said. With the Brady hype not bought by all, Thomas said that it was believed that about 30 percent of leagues this year would be won because of Brady.
With about $500 million in fantasy prizes on the line, that's a $150 million shift in dollars. And some think that's at the low end of the spectrum since the total value of office pools is tough to ascertain.
I asked Brady on Friday (see video clip) in our interview on "Squawk Box" what he thought about fantasy football.