By Kurtis Hanni

At this point, some of us are like:

Other more like: 

So, should you quit? At what point is a bad start too bad to recover from? Nothing is too bad. Really, I promise. But, you know what guarantees you a finish towards the bottom? Not submitting picks. Each season, a few people quit early in the year thinking they cannot recover.

Each of the last 3 years, many have overcome rough starts to finish strong. Below I will highlight some specific cases of those overcoming a rough start.

David Boettcher. David started 8-10 and ranked in 197th place after 3 weeks. On the back of being the top point getter in 2 weeks out of the season, David climbed his way all the way up to a top 10 finish. David finished in 6th place, raking in enough money to buy himself a new car. It might be a clunker, but it’s a car nonetheless.

Jon Taber. Jon started 7-11 and was in 209th place. Unlike David, Jon never won a week, but consistent performances led to a finish in 17th place.

5 of the 58 in the bottom quarter after 3 weeks finished in the top 50. 12 from the bottom quarter finished in the top 100.

Here are some alarming statistics from the 2013 Pigskin Pick Six after 3 weeks. At the 3 week mark:

• 8 of the top 10 finishers ranked outside the top 30, and 4 out of the top 10 finishers outside the top 100
• On average, players who submit picks every week improve their ranking by 36 slots over a season
• Those players who get 0 points one week or less improve their ranking by 21 slots over a season

Here is a really crazy one: those ranked between the 50-75 percentile after 3 week and continued to submit picks throughout the season finished with an average ranking  of 73.8. Those in the top 75 percentile? 75.8. Those in the top middle of the pack actually finished better than those in the top quarter after 3 weeks. Anything is possible. Be one of the success stories!

Also, what does this say for those in the top? Hold on tight, because it’s very likely it will slip through your fingertips.