FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 9
BENCH/START WRAP-UP
November 04, 2003
This week was an especially hot week for FootballDocs Bench / Start. It was filled with a McNabb
sighting, a runaway Shipp, and a nice juicy Hambrick. We had good bench advice with players
like Reggie Wayne and the Minnesota Vikings Defense. Naturally, you can't win them all, and
we did let a couple of players slip through the cracks. Well, what are you waiting for? … Join us
as we take a look back at our fantasy football week 9 predictions for bench / start and see for
yourself how things went.
Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
Donovan McNabb - Because a lot of people out there had already given up on McNabb and because of his horrible season thus far, we made him our "I did the QB free fall and hit rock bottom" pick of the week. Those of you who started him, weren't disappointed. McNabb set all types of season-highs: McNabb's best yardage game of the year was week 2 when he threw for 186 yards - This past week he smashed that mark with 312 yards passing. McNabb also had only his third no interception game of the year. In addition, he managed his fourth best rushing game of the year with 22 yards. McNabb tacked on his fourth TD of the year to make this past week's performance his best of the season by far.
Jimmy Smith - If you didn't let that Ravens D scare you week 9, you were rewarded. Smith posted nice yardage numbers and a good reception day. We would liked to have seen a TD, but other than that a solid start from Smith.
Steve Smith - This guy has been so hot he should be due for a cold streak, but we told you to give him the rock anyway. Smith didn't disappoint. With 5 receptions for 88 yards, 1 rush for 6 yards, and a TD on top, Smith had yet another great game in almost any scoring system.
Marcel Shipp - Surely Shipp couldn't repeat last week 8's great game? Could he? We thought so and told you to give Shipp a shot in your starting line-up. If you went with this Cardinal you were very pleased. With over 175 total yards of offense, Shipp provided a great fantasy day. The only thing missing was a score. It was still a great game. He did fumble - doah!
Michael Pittman - Well the Bucs may have lost, but Pittman provided a boost to fantasy squads across the land. With nearly 100 yards of total offense, 6 receptions, and a touchdown, this jailbird put in a hard day of work. Pittman did cough it up once, so that took a little off the top. Even with the fumble, Pittman had a great fantasy day.
Jerry Rice - Seems to be a lot of fumbleitis going around this past week. Rice turned it over, but he managed a solid fantasy start. Thanks to his great reception numbers and decent yardage.
Correll Buckhalter - When the Falcons are on your fantasy plate, always go back for seconds. Buckhalter followed his week 8 performance with another solid effort week 9. Over 100 yards of total offense is a very nice fill for your line-up.
Troy Hambrick - Not to be out done in the week of the fumble, Hambrick decided to be an over achiever so he fumbled twice. Normally this would kill a running back's fantasy week, but Hambrick rebounded with 100 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Hambrick managed this good game after his sorry performance of week 8.
LaDainian Tomlinson - We just felt like recommending Tomlinson because we expected a huge game out of him. You should always start Tomlinson unless there are only two teams in your league. Tomlinson was a bit off of his pace from the past few weeks, but he still snagged a TD, a few receptions, and some nice yardage.
Bench:
Reggie Wayne - Wayne had made his way all the way to the top 10 in most fantasy scoring system, but we told you to cool your heel on this over achiever. As expected, the Dolphins shut down Wayne (he only managed 2 receptions for 20 yards).
Minnesota Vikings Defense - The Vikings had a monster day versus Favre week 1, but we told you to throw the dome curse out the window and the previous meeting. Benching the Vikings was the right move. They only managed 1 sack and 1 int. The worst part is that they gave up 30 points - a killer in most scoring systems.
Rod Gardner - We said that "Mr. Up and Down" would be down this week in the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry game. 1 catch for 14 yards just about says it all.
Troy Brown - 1 rush for -5 yards. If you stayed far away from this joker, you were thankful. Tom Brady did try to hit Brown late in the game for that final score. Luckily for our prediction, they didn't connect.
Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
None this week.
Bench:
Any Broncos QB - If you benched Kanell, you were probably happy. If you started him, you weren't in too much trouble there either. That lands Kanell in our so-so picks of the week.
Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Joey Galloway - Well, we knew that one of the Cowboys WRs was in for a good game. We just picked the wrong one. Mrs. Glenn has a spectacular game. Unfortunately for our pick, it was at the expense of Galloway.
Bench:
Ike Hilliard - Don't mess with "Ike". We did, and we were wrong. Ike raked in some nice yardage and a score. This guy is starting to get on a roll!
Edgerrin James - We said that "James shouldn't be a horrible start" and suggested that if you had a comparable option to go with it. Hopefully that option was Anthony Thomas, otherwise you missed out on a pretty decent start from "The Edge" against a tough Miami D. With nearly 100 yards and a TD, James wasn't too bad.
