FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 10
BENCH/START WRAP-UP
November 14, 2006
Week 10 was an explosive week for the “studs” in the game. Players like
LaDainian Tomlinson and Donald Driver kept up their solid campaigns of 2006,
while others like Chad Johnson awoke from a season-long slumber. Those are some of the
best players in week 10, and you probably won if you were fortunate enough to have them in your lineup. On the
other hand, this segment is here to talk about the tough start calls on
players that could give you a big game as easily as a terrible performance.
Let’s quit wasting time with the intro and get to our review of week
10 in fantasy football and the NFL.
Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
Rex Grossman, QB, CHI – Grossman had been pretty terrible in the weeks leading up to the game against the Giants. The weather was nasty and Grossman was playing a pretty tough D and a hostile crowd, but he came up big for fantasy owners and the Bears. Grossman did have one turnover, but he racked up 246 passing and 3 TDs. In TD only leagues, Grossman was a great play. However, most leagues probably loved Grossman’s game. We know Eli Manning owners would have liked some of those points for Eli.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX – Jones-Drew had 4 receptions for 56 yards and 11 yards rushing. The thing that made Jones-Drew a solid start was his 3 yard TD run. He came into this game having not scored a TD in 3 weeks. We told you he was in a good position to score this week and he did.
Jake Delhomme, QB, CAR – Delhomme was looking a so-so fantasy start right in the face until about 3:11 left in the Monday Night Football game. If you were watching the game closely, you could see Delhomme say something to Steve Smith as they broke the huddle. This was caught by the sky cam, so the Bucs must not have seen it. We suspect the conversation must have gone something like this:
Jake Delhomme: Wait a minute. Aren’t you Steve Smith. The same Steve Smith that can change a game at any moment and no crappy cover 2 scheme is going to hold you down.
Steve Smith: Yep.
Jake Delhomme: Why don’t you just run down the sideline and I will throw you the ball. The Bucs are too slow and can’t cover you.
Steve Smith: I have been telling you this the whole #$%^*#@ GAME!
Jake Delhomme: Uh. Yeah. Sorry about that.
Steve Smith: No problem. Just throw me the ball. THEY CANNOT COVER ME!
Jake Delhomme: Ok. Break.
Atlanta Falcons D – The Falcons D was banged up this week, but we thought that the Browns presented a nice opportunity to score some solid fantasy points. While the Falcons offense was terrible this past week, the defense actually played a very respectable game. The Falcons only allowed 17 points, they recovered 2 fumbles, and they sacked Charlie Frye 5 times. Overall, this was a very respectable performance from the banged up Falcons D.
Anthony Thomas, RB, BUF – Anthony Thomas was a popular pickup last week and we told you to feel free to go ahead and throw him in there. He didn’t disappoint with 109 yards rushing. For many leagues out there, 100 yard games get a bonus and Thomas took care of that milestone.
Bench:
Eric Parker, WR, SDG – This was a risky game to recommend anyone for the bench with both teams scoring loads of TDs. Eric Parker had been a popular target of Philip Rivers and Rivers threw for a ton of yards this past weekend. However, none of this mattered because Parker only caught 1 pass for 14 yards. You were more than happy to have Parker on your bench.
George Wrighster, TE, JAX – Wrighster was a popular red zone target of Garrard in previous weeks, but we didn’t see much there to get excited about. Hopefully you heeded this advice and looked for TE help elsewhere. Wrighster only caught 1 pass for 8 yards. It doesn’t get much worse than this unless you own Eli Manning.
Tim Carter, WR, NYG – Speaking of Eli Manning. He did help us out with this bench call on Carter. Amani Toomer’s absence from the lineup may have left some teams looking for someone to fill his shoes. Carter was not the answer for the Giants or for your fantasy team. He played but he didn’t get any fantasy points.
Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
David Garrard, QB, JAX – Garrard turned the ball over way too much and if he keeps turning the ball over like he did against Houston, we may see Byron Leftwich again. Garrard did have some very solid yardage. He had 214 passing, but his 44 rushing are what helped make him a so-so start. Without those rushing yards, he would have been headed for Bustville all the way.
Bench:
Lamont Jordan, RB, OAK – Jordan was pretty terrible. He had 10 rushes for 12 yards with a 1.2 yards per carry average. Jordan did have 1 catch, but his 1 yard TD run helped to make him a so-so bench. In TD only leagues, you probably don’t care about those terrible yardage numbers, but in most leagues, Jordan just isn’t getting the job done. If you are in a TD only league, Brandon Jacobs must be a godsend.
Chris Henry, WR, CIN – This was a crazy game and Henry managed to get a TD of his own. He didn’t make it to a busted call thanks to him only recording 2 catches for only 18 yards.
Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Julius Jones, RB, DAL – Only 45 yards rushing with no receptions doesn’t get the job done. Jones is risky every week thanks to his status splitting time with Marion Barber. We thought Jones would break out of his Tony Romo era fantasy scoring drought. However, Jones has provided no signs of recovery.
Laurence Maroney, RB, NE – Maroney and the Patriots struggled in the nasty conditions and New England ended up losing to the Jets. Maroney had some nice return yardage (89), but he didn’t have very impressive rushing yards (37). Maroney was a busted start call.
Reggie Brown, WR, PHI – Brown continues to struggle with Donte Stallworth in the game. Brown only recorded 38 yards receiving. We had hoped that Brown would rebound, but Stallworth’s presence continues to be bad news for Reggie Brown owners.
Mike Furrey, WR, DET – We told you that Furrey was a very borderline starter at best, but we hoped that he could provide a spark to desperate teams. Furrey only had 2 catches for 13 yards. This was a terrible game and we are very disappointed in this usually reliable fantasy player.
Matt Jones, WR, JAX – This was another risky call. We told you that Jones was finally playing and he could get you some points in a bind. Jones didn’t do much with only 11 yards. Hopefully, the entire Jacksonville offense starts to pick up the pace. We are concerned for all Jaguars with David Garrard at the helm.
Bench:
Drew Bennett, WR, TEN and Vince Young, QB, TEN – We don’t know where this came from, but Vince Yong hooked up with Drew Bennett for a solid game. They didn’t hook up for a score, but Young ran one in and Bennett had 115 yards receiving these were great games. These were busted bench calls.
Reggie Bush, RB, NO – Just when Reggie Bush was becoming a weekly disappointment as a fantasy starter, he goes and scores a TD. Bush did fumble, but he had enough yardage to go along with his TD to make him a busted bench call in week 10. We don’t know if you should expect more of this from Bush, but it could happen.
