So, did you hand over your league-entry fee last year about this time, draft Tom Brady early and then promptly watch your season end along with his?

“The Tom Brady injury was the starting point for FSI,” Henry Olszewski, co-creator of Fantasy Sports Insurance, told FSB.com. “As a fantasy player and insurance agent, I did field a few questions in jest from friends asking if there was any coverage for a fantasy player getting hurt.”

Olszewski and his peers at Intermarket Insurance Agency took the questions a bit more seriously, though, and began developing the idea last September. Less than a year later, the venture has been launched for the start of football season.

The concept is just like that of other insurance setups: Clients pay a percentage of their league fees to insure their money-league teams against season-altering injuries. FSI offers three specific options …

Package 1 — One “key player” misses 10 of the first 15 games

Package 2 — One “key player” misses eight of the first 12 games

Package 3 — Three “key players” miss a total of 18 games in that 15-game window

Lest there be any confusion over who qualifies as a “key player,” the company has set up a list of 50 players from which to select for this season (a reasonable list, despite the inclusion of Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson).

“We did a lot of research about the business side of fantasy sports and realized there was a far greater dynamic here then we initially thought,” Olszewski said. “A few of the key steps we took were vetting the concept through legal channels, hiring a website and software developer, researching the insurance market to find an ‘A’ rated carrier to underwrite the program, and conduct some market research to find out if there was a genuine interest in this type of product/service.”

The timing for this launch probably couldn’t be any better. No fantasy owner went into last season planning on the real possibility of a Brady injury, and the quick demise of his 2008 season drove home the point that every player is one play away from being out of the lineup. As Olszewski pointed out, recent tough economic times have also made many of us tighter with our money. For some, the opportunity to insure their league-entry fee might assuage the worry that might otherwise keep them from playing.

In addition to its standalone business, Fantasy Sports Insurance is also seeking partnerships with fantasy-game providers, such as the deal it struck with Fanball just last month. That revenue-share agreement, Olszewski says, places banner ads for FSI on Fanball.com and allows Fanball customers to purchase insurance straight from the game pages.

Although football figures to sit at the center of any success the company might find — thanks to its popularity and penchant for injuries — Fantasy Sports Insurance plans to launch its service for the upcoming basketball and hockey seasons as well, and the 2010 baseball season. Olszewski says NASCAR and soccer versions are also in development, and the site carries a tab for golf at the top of the page.

Olszewski says the underwriting agency, Lloyd’s of London, has been a partner for a while and offers “a similar type of disability coverage to professional sports team owners.”

It’s been a big weekend for Tom Brady, and it has nothing to do with the Patriots trading Matt Cassel on Saturday.

The Web was abuzz Friday with reports that the star quarterback and secretly wed his Brazilian supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, in Santa Monica, Calif. Even if all the reports somehow turned out to be false, it was a fantasy bonanza for Brady owners.

No, your cousin Frank doesn’t score any points in his keeper league for his quarterback getting hitched — even to a supermodel. Anyone with Brady on the roster in their celebrity fantasy league, however, is racking up the points.

“Tom Brady just came off the bench to become an every day starter,” says Ed Menendez, co-founder of Hollywood Draft. “Now you have to keep an eye on them to have another kid and to cash in on those baby points.”

In Menendez’s game — and other similar contests — participants build a roster of celebrities and score for things such as the person merely showing up in the news, having a child or getting married. With Hollywood Draft’s focus on the number of times a celebrity gets mentioned in various print and online sources, a union of this magnitude not only makes for a big day but could start a scoring run.

“It’s like picking up Darren Sproles and riding his 3-4 week fantasy point wave,” Menendez says. “Now you hang on and hope he doesn’t celebrate too much and get a DUI.”

Count on Mr. and Mrs. Brady showing up on plenty of rosters in Hollywood Draft’s next round of play, which is set to begin on March 1.

Any old fans of the Talented Mr. Roto site might have some trouble finding Pete Becker these days … unless they speak French.

According to his fantasy survey on ESPN.com — which the Worldwide Leader is having its fantasy personalities fill out — “Becker” is now writing under his given name: Pierre Becquey.

“I’ve gone by the pen name of Pete Becker for the past five years, but the reasons for it no longer exist,” he writes.

He doesn’t go into greater detail, but you can count on FSB.com to try to track down more information on this and all other hard-hitting news stories that send ripples throughout our industry.

As for the other ESPN fantasy surveys, here are some interesting tidbits:

Matthew Berry believes strongly in Jorge de la Rosa and all things 90210.

Tristan Cockroft thinks that Carlos Zambrano, Erik Bedard and Jake Peavy are all headed for the operating room this year.

Jason Grey wants to revive and commandeer the Nego League hall of fame nickname “Cool Papa.” He’s magnanimously placing “Old Hoss” on the open market, though, and has decided for some reason to leave “Wee” to Willie Keeler.

Christopher Harris is pretty sure he’ll be fired in 2009, which would leave fantasy NASCAR fans driving in circles.

Eric Karabell believes that the women of New England will be left in tears once again as Brady misses a second season.

Keith Lipscomb doesn’t think Dwyane Wade will spend nearly as much time in a wheelchair this year (unless, of course, he suffers an eye injury).

A.J. Mass says that Roy Halladay should be the first pitcher drafted in fantasy baseball leagues. (Though it’s tough to take anyone seriously who admits to being a Syracuse football fan.)

James Quintong thinks Joba Chamberlain will make his way back to the bullpen, where nipple rings are far more effective.

Nate Ravitz believes that Cedric Benson will rush for 1,000 yards for the Bengals in 2009. In related news, ESPN recently suspended drug testing for fantasy employees.

Brendan Roberts says the Rays will get over the hump and win the World Series. Pat Burrell asks that Phillies fans please stop referring to him as “the hump.”

Kevin Rounce believes that Matt Berry will overcome the urge to build on the artistry of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles and remain in his Bristol digs.

In the week following the opening Sunday of the NFL season, much was made about the dooming effect that Tom Brady’s injury would have on fantasy owners — many of whom drafted him in the first round.

Well, how many people are doomed at quarterback now?

Sunday’s second-half benching of Donovan McNabb marked just the latest downfall of a fantasy starter. Dallas’ Tony Romo missed three games after breaking the pinky on his throwing hand. Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer has missed the past six games and seven overall, and might note get back on the field this season because of an injured throwing elbow.

Beyond those top guys, there’s Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle, who missed five games and has stunk in pretty much every other. Cleveland’s Derek Anderson found his way to the sideline just a year after his breakout campaign. Houston’s Matt Schaub has had his breakout delayed by a knee injury.

Heck, even Peyton Manning took half a season to play like Peyton Manning.

What is the affected fantasy owner to do? Well, you can head elsewhere for advice. The moral of this story is that the season doesn’t end because one player disappears from the lineup. If every team did rely on a keystone, these games wouldn’t be as much fun to play.