Editor's note: This piece was originally printed in the NFFC Newsletter. It is reprinted by permission of the NFFC. For more information on the league, go to NFFC.

It wasn't the type of weekend J.P. Kastner had planned for Week 4 of the NFFC. Instead of being at home watching all of the games and seeing how his players were doing he found himself in the land of the dead.

Or more precisely - Deadwood, South Dakota.

"My wife conned me into spending an extended weekend in Deadwood, South Dakota while she went to a work conference," he said. "It was our ninth anniversary. I didn't want to go, but she told me that either I went with her and have my parents-in-law watch the kids for four days or I could stay home and watch them alone."

So off J.P. went to South Dakota. But while he was away, his team played. And played and played and played. So well, in fact, that his CreativeSports-Kastner team in Chicago League 4 led the way in the NFFC last week with 201.55 points.

Big weeks from Tony Romo (42.35 points), Dwayne Bowe (30.4), Ronnie Brown (29.7) and the Detroit Lions defense (24) led the way for J.P.s team.

So where was J.P. when he realized his team might be on the verge of something special?

"I was stuck in the Rapid City Airport," he said. "On Sunday when we were to return home, the Minneapolis airport was closed due to bad weather. The plane we were supposed to take hadn't left Minnesota. We had already turned in the rental car, so all we could do was sit there and wait.

"I sat there for seven hours with my increasingly (expletive) wife. There is no bar in that little airport so I couldn't watch any football. All I could do was watch the ESPN scoreboard update on my laptop. Fortunately we found an electrical outlet and the airport wireless was free."

But once Kastner found out how his team was doing, his frustration turned to elation.

"I was downright delirious," he said. "I was watching my NFFC team rack up points. The Packers won. The Lions, who I picked up the day before for $2, was manhandling the Bears. I can say it was the most fun I ever had stuck some place where I didn't want to be."

Kastner's depth played a key role in the Week 4 success. And that was the plan going into Chicago for the draft.

"In the NFFC with the combination of deep rosters, no trades and a motivated group of owners all with their eye on the $100,000 prize, I like depth," he said. "I know the general philosophy this year was to draft a running back and a wide receiver in the first two rounds. I bucked that trend to go with two running backs simply because of scarcity.

"I know it is boring and conservative, but you can usually find a wide receiver in the free agent pool if you must. If you need a running back you are pretty much out of luck. The way players are dropping this season, I believe I was right.

"Now to do that, I needed to target the right wide receivers when I started picking them in the sixth round. I used our draft kit to help me target a combination of reliable veterans and potential buy low impact players. I also tried to match up people up. So for example, when I drafted veteran Eddie Kennison I also targeted Dwayne Bowe just in case Kennison went down. I've suffered from the same injuries as everyone else, but so far I've been able to compensate."

But even though Kastner has put together what he believes is a good team, he realizes a little good fortune goes a long way as well.

"Everyone on my team has either met or exceeded expectations," he said. " Tony Romo has given me two 40 point weeks. The much maligned Ronnie Brown has started to play to a level I thought he was capable of. Dwayne Bowe who I drafted in the 13th round has filled in nicely for Eddie Kennison.

"With the Jaguars on a bye week, I picked up the Lions on a whim. I knew they gave up 56 points the week before, but the Bears are a mess. I just needed a defense for the week so anything they gave me would be nice. I'd like to say that picking up the Lions was genius, but I would be lying. I was lucky there."

J.P. is part of the CREATiVESPORTS team. His primary focus is baseball and plays in the Mixed League in Tout Wars a renowned baseball expert league. As a diehard Cheese-head, he admits to having difficulty keeping his journalistic integrity when it comes to football, so he plays fantasy football purely for pleasure. His writing has appeared in both the Fantasy Football Guide Professional Edition and the Fantasy Baseball Guide Professional Edition. He has also been featured on XM Radio.

After living in California for 10 years, JP and his wife Jill recently returned home to Wisconsin. JP writes full-time while taking care of his two children, Julia, age 5, and Jacob age 2.

For finishing first last week, J.P. wins an Aaron Rodgers Autographed Packers Home (Green) Jersey courtesy of Upper Deck Authenticated.