2009 Fantasy Football Busts

Parker burst onto the scene late in the NFL preseason of 2006 and became a fantasy stud. His explosive first step coupled with Bill Cowher's run-first mentality made Parker an instant success. He piled on over 1,700 yards of total offense, 16 TDs, and ripped off several long runs that left a pile of fantasy drool in his wake for those in leagues that reward bonus points for long plays. Pittsburgh also had one of the better run blocking offensive lines in the league, and Parker was like a kid in a candy store. Now three years later, the Steelers' offensive line is in shambles. The line had a terrible 2008, and it was an incredible defense with timely QB play that won this team the Super Bowl. After losing 8-Time Pro-Bowl G Alan Faneca to the Jets prior to the start of the 2008 season, the Steelers have now lost 2004 Pro-Bowl LT Marvel Smith to the 49ers in the off-season. These are big blows, and the o-line production has suffered because of it. We still can't say enough about the loss of Faneca, who is well known for his excellent run blocking (ask Thomas Jones). Now fresh off an exciting Super Bowl win, the buzz is about the Steelers. That buzz is spilling over into the backfield, and folks are getting visions of Fast Willie Parker returning to his explosive form. If you are having one of those visions right now, please pause and take a moment to dunk yourself in an ice bath followed by a good, strong sniff of smelling salt. Repeat. Again. Great - glad to have you back. Parker has seen a drop in his yard per carry average every year he has been in the league. In five years, it has gone from an impressive 5.8 ypc to a very substandard 3.8 ypc in 2008 (2.8 ypc in last year's Super Bowl). His long TD runs have also suffered and a host of nagging injuries have been piling up. Long gone are the days of 80 and 76 yard TD runs like he had in the '05 and '06 seasons respectively. In the post-Faneca landscape, Parker has had long TD runs of only 32 and 34 yards in '07 and '08 respectively. Now, Parker also has to contend with second year talent Rashard Mendenhall, who returns after missing most of last season. Buyer beware on Parker in '09.

In 2008, Cassel finally got to be a starter for the first time since high school. It was a long hard wait, but in the end it looked like a well deserved reward. It is probably very nice to now be known for something more than backing up Carson Palmer and Tom Brady. It is all about timing and taking advantage of your opportunities when they arrive. Cassel finally got his shot last season when Brady went down in the first game of the season. Cassel finished impressively as the NFL's 8th best QB by season's end. This made him a hot commodity once Brady's return looked imminent. Now Cassel has his own show in KC. He will be hoping that Dwayne Bowe, Mark Bradley, and Amani Toomer are reasonable replacements for the NE WRs he was used to. Many media sources out there have Cassel as the 11th best QB or better. The problem with this is that Cassel has a whole lot of question marks surrounding him. First, Tyler Thigpen is in KC just waiting to pick up where he left off in 2008. You had better believe that the fans will be calling for Cassel's head pretty quickly if he struggles for a prolonged stretch. Next, Cassel isn't going to be throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Brady saw a significant increase in performance when he started throwing to both Welker and Moss. If you factor out what Cassel would be without those 2 WR, you don't get a very pretty picture. Cassel's numbers would be 2,712 yards, 10 TDs and 15 INTs. It is doubtful that Cassel will see a drop in production of this magnitude, but he is in for a drop. Last, the Patriots offensive line is ranked much higher than the Chiefs in overall rankings. Also, there is probably a reason why Cassel wasn't a starter in college, and he wasn't a starter in the NFL until last season. You hope you don't find out the answer to that question as a Cassel owner. One factor that should concern a potential Cassel owner is that Cassel was sacked 47 times behind a pretty decent line. A large number of those 47 sacks were due to Cassel holding onto the ball too long. Cassel can make it as the #1 QB, but his stats will likely disappoint in Kansas City.