Larry Donnell lost his fantasy football matchup because he benched himself

If you started New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell last week in fantasy, you likely won. Nothing like getting a three-touchdown night from a virtually unknown tight end to push you over the top.

And if you started Donnell in fantasy last week you had a lot of faith. More than Donnell himself.

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This is a fantasy bad beat story that nobody will be able to top. Donnell did not have himself in his own lineup last week, he told Art Stapleton of The Record (N.J.). Donnell benched himself for 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, and he lost last week as a result.

So if your league mates can't believe you had the foresight to start Donnell, who had one career touchdown before his explosion last Thursday night against Washington, they're justified. And it's a good thing you didn't have a direct line to Donnell before the game, because he might have talked himself out of your lineup.

Adding onto the humor of the situation, Donnell realized during his breakout game that he had himself on his fantasy bench.

“During the game, I’m like, ‘Really?’ That’s the honest truth," Donnell told The Record.

Donnell will be back in his lineup this week ("Oh yeah. I’m in there." he told The Record), and probably will be in many lineups considering that the Giants appear to be realizing that not many teams can match up with his size and athleticism in the red zone. But he has quite a story to tell when people start in about making the wrong lineup decision on their fantasy team.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab